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Bears safety Jaquan Brisker pays tribute to Bills’ Damar Hamlin, his friend

Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker sat out Wednesday’s walk-through.

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker first met Damar Hamlin in eighth grade.

When he saw the Bills safety come close to death Monday night — Hamlin needed CPR on the field in a game against the Bengals the NFL would eventually cancel — Brisker had to walk away. He missed Wednesday’s walk-through but returned to work Thursday.

“Mentally, it was bad,” said Brisker, who, like Hamlin, is from the Pittsburgh area. “I really had to step away from the facility for a little bit and collect my thoughts.