ORCHARD PARK - When reporters jumped onto a 3 p.m. conference call to get an update on Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s condition, what Drs. William Knight IV and Tim Pritts said at the outset was rather shocking.

“We shared last time that we were with you (Thursday) that our ultimate goal was to get Damar back home to his amazing family and the broader Buffalo family,” Knight began. “Well, Dr. Pritts and I are thrilled and proud on behalf of (University of Cincinnati Medical Center) to report to you that Mr. Hamlin has been released and returned to Buffalo.”

Wow. That came as a complete surprise to everyone the call who was simply expecting to hear that he was continuing to make progress, and perhaps a timeline would be established for his ultimate release and return to Buffalo.

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“I traveled with him to the airport this morning with our UC Health, air care and bubble care crew, including teammates who are with us on the field when Damar collapsed,” Knight continued. “He landed safely and as standard as anybody who has gone through what he’s gone through this past week, and certainly after flying on a plane, he is going to be observed and monitored to ensure that there’s no impact from the flight of his condition or on his lungs.

“Dr. Pritts and I have spoken extensively with his care team in Buffalo, and I can confirm that he is doing well and this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery.”

Hamlin, who had been at UCMC since being transported there last Monday night when he suffered cardiac arrest after making a tackle in the Bills game against the Bengals, was admitted to Buffalo General Hospital and he tweeted Monday afternoon that the doctors and nurses there have already made him feel like he’s at home.

He was listed in critical condition for four days, but came out of induced sedation Wednesday, was talking by Thursday, and continued to make remarkable and rapid improvement to the point Sunday where he was able to watch the Bills-Patriots game on television with his parents, and was tweeting throughout.

He later FaceTimed with the Bills as they celebrated in their locker room.

Bills coach Sean McDermott met via Zoom with reporters Monday and as you might imagine, he had a smile on his face. He, general manager Brandon Beane, and head trainer Nate Breske went to Buffalo general to see Hamlin, and assistant trainer Taboni Richards who had stayed behind all week in Cincinnati.

“Yeah, I’m super excited that he’s back in Buffalo and what a job the team of docs and the medical team did out in Cincinnati,” McDermott said. “And now he’s in great care here in Buffalo. We’re happy to have him back. I did have a chance to see him a few minutes ago … and he’s doing well. He’s a little bit tired, but it was good to get to see him in person for the first time in a while.

“What a blessing, just incredible progress that he’s made … so we’re just very thankful for that, the medical team that he’s had around him and again, singling out Taboni who has been with him the whole time. Just thankful that Damar is back and resting in Buffalo here. It’s like anything else, when you have your family close by, it just feels right. It just feels better and it’s just good knowing that he’s nearby.”

And while both doctors made it clear that Hamlin still has a journey to navigate before he returns to full health, they both expressed tremendous satisfaction with the progress he made in the near week that he was under their care.

“We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,” Pritts said. “And as Bill mentioned, when we started all this, what we told his parents is the only thing that mattered was the patient in the bed and getting him back to him and his family, into his community.

“We anticipate that he will undergo an ongoing series of tests and evaluations to determine the etiology of what caused the incident on Monday night, and to treat any pathology that may be found.”

When the doctors last spoke to reporters, Hamlin was still intubated and on a ventilator, but not long thereafter, the breathing tube was removed and he was going through being weaned off oxygen.

The next big step was to get him on his feet and walking, and Pritts said he made his first lap around the intensive care unit on Friday, and had been increasing his walking time all weekend leading up to his release.

“He has been up with physical therapy and occupational therapy, walking the unit, tolerating a regular diet, meeting with his family and many members of the care team that wanted to see how he was doing, all to get him to this point that he can be safely returned to Buffalo,” Knight said.

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Regarding whether Hamlin will be able to resume his football career at some point, Knight wasn’t to make a definitive statement on that.

“I think we’re in the same place that we were in the last discussion is that it is entirely too premature to discuss his football,” Knight said. “We’re really focused on his day to day recovery. He still has a little bit of a ways to go in terms of his ongoing recovery.

“We’re thrilled to where he is today. He’s up, he’s walking around, he’s got an amazing and genuine sense of humor. And his family is amazing and we’re happy he’s with them, but in terms of any kind of conjecture to his future, that’s still significantly into the future and it’s gonna be up to Damar and a great team of physicians to help him.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Damar Hamlin released from hospital, flies back to Buffalo