The Bills safety collapsed on the field. There is a time and a place for it.
Hamlin wanted to raise $2,500 to buy toys for needy children.
It took a long time.
Then came Monday, when the Buffalo Bills safety was critically injured and needed his heart to restart on the field in front of a national audience. He became one of the top stories in sports, and thousands of people found his page.
More than $4 million was given by 1 pm. The time is Tuesday. The number is getting higher.
By 10 a.m., the fundraiser had raised more than $3 million. On Tuesday, about 130,000 people went online to donate, on average, about $27. The donations were small. Some were over $50,000. Three donations were made every second during the first 12 hours.
Many came with messages of hope for a player in his second season who was in a Cincinnati hospital in critical condition and some teammates who were unwilling to return to Buffalo just so they could be close to him.
Michael Lynch wrote that there were moments in life that stopped the world. We all pray for something. Your impact to the world is improved by your go fund me.
Many of the donors let the world know that they supported other teams. "We are all Bills fans" was one of the slogans that came with it.
Hamlin's family expressed their gratitude for the love and support shown to him. We are touched by the prayers, kind words, and donations from fans.
Hamlin started a crowd-sourced fund. He was finishing up his college career and preparing for the draft. He wanted to have a toy drive in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, a place with about 6,000 people along the Ohio River.
"As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I came from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me," Hamlin wrote when setting up the drive The 2020 Community Toy Drive is the first program that will be delivered by The Chasing M's Foundation. The campaign gives you the chance to make a difference in the lives of children who have been hardest hit by the swine flu.
• Chose Pitt over Ohio State and Penn State coming out of high school in western Pennsylvania • Was a second-team All-ACC selection in final season at Pitt, leading team with 67 tackles • Taken with the No. 212 overall pick, in the sixth round, of the 2021 draft by the Bills • Appeared in 14 games as a rookie, making two tackles
• Has appeared in 15 games this season, including 13 starts in place of injured Micah Hyde. Tied for second on Bills in tackles (91), with one forced fumble and 1.5 sacks
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