A Jan. 23 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) presents a conspiracy theory about Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin that has circulated widely in recent days.
"Damar Hamlin is dead folks," reads the post. "The guy yesterday was just a stage they can't afford for this to come out bc he died on national tv. Not been funny but he dropped dead like a fly basically."
The post accumulated over 70 shares in less than a week. Similar claims have spread widely on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere, particularly among conspiracy theorists such as QAnon backers and far-right radio host Stew Peters.
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Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, recovered from the incident, according to doctors who treated him. He is not dead. His teammate also said that it was Hamlin, not a body double, who appeared at the Jan. 22 game referenced in the post.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins during a Jan. 2 game. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart abruptly loses its normal rhythm and stops pumping blood.
But contrary to the post’s claim, Hamlin did not die. He was resuscitated on the field and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treatment. The doctors who treated him held a press conference three days later on Jan. 5 and said Hamlin had made...
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