A view of items placed outside of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Cincinnati. Hamlin is currently at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition after an injury sustained during the NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fanatics will donate all Damar Hamlin jersey sales to his toy drive

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 1/3/23

Players, fans, commentators, coaches, teams, the league itself, and even people outside of the NFL have been hoping and praying for Damar Hamlin's swift recovery after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during Monday Night Football's matchup between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

That's a group that now includes Fanatics, which has announced that Hamlin's No. 3 Bills jersey has been amongst the highest sold since Monday Night — and that includes jerseys from all sports.

Even better, Fanatics has pledged to donate all the money from Hamlin jersey sales to the 24-year-old's toy drive.

Damar Hamlin’s No. 3 #Bills jersey has been among the highest selling jerseys on @Fanatics since last night — in any sport, not just the NFL.

Fanatics announced that all the proceeds from Hamlin's jersey sales will be donated to his toy drive, which has now surpassed $5.5M.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 4, 2023

Before his on-field incident and the life-threatening battle he's now facing, Hamlin's foundation, The Chasing M’s Foundation, had set up a toy drive for his community.

"As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me," Hamlin had originally written.

The GoFundMe for the toy drive originally sought to raise $2,500. At the time of this writing, $5.7 million has been raised and more is likely on the way.

Hamlin was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Pitt. He's originally from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania and he played high school ball at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, where he was considered the top football recruit in the state.

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