As Damar Hamlins health improves, his Chasing Ms clothing line makes an impact

Jay Moglo said last week he couldnt wait for Damar Hamlin to see how many people were talking about Chasing Ms. What it was. Whom it represented. What it represented. Seeing people writing Chasing Ms, a lot of people praying for Damar, all the donations I couldnt thank them enough, Moglo told The Athletic

Jay Moglo said last week he couldn’t wait for Damar Hamlin to see how many people were talking about Chasing M’s. What it was. Whom it represented. What it represented.

“Seeing people writing Chasing M’s, a lot of people praying for Damar, all the donations … I couldn’t thank them enough,” Moglo told The Athletic on Wednesday. “I cannot wait until he sees all of this. He’s going to be so happy.”

Advertisement

Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and taken to a hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., on Monday. And ever since Hamlin’s scary collapse Jan. 2 in Cincinnati, his Chasing M’s clothing line has taken off.

Moglo said the concept of Chasing M’s was all Hamlin’s while he attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. The M stands for millions, but it wasn’t just about money; it was about pursuing life dreams. Hamlin carried that motto with him to the University of Pittsburgh and to the Buffalo Bills.

Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has gained considerable attention in the past week. The GoFundMe associated with the foundation started in 2020 to raise money for a toy drive with the modest goal of $2,500. The total has since topped $8.6 million with more than 244,000 donations.

That attention carried over to the Chasing M’s clothing brand, a separate limited liability company that was formed in 2017. Moglo handles the daily operation of the clothing company.

As the foundation’s donations picked up, so did sales of Chasing M’s gear. By last Wednesday, everything on the Chasing M’s website was sold out. New merchandise is now available, including sweatsuits, hoodies and a windbreaker with “Love Me Before They All Do” on the back.

The site also is selling “Did We Win?” shirts, a reference to the first question Hamlin asked doctors in Cincinnati after regaining consciousness. Proceeds from the sales of that shirt will benefit first responders and the UC Trauma Center, which helped save his life.

We all won 🫶🏾.

I want to give back an ounce of the love y'all showed me. Proceeds of this shirt will go to first-responders and the UC Trauma Center.

Go get yours!https://t.co/YoDbBo6bzs pic.twitter.com/BQ6HHv5woF

— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 8, 2023

Moglo said the idea for clothes came from starting the foundation. In 2019, they had an idea for the slogan they’d been using as a hashtag (#ChasingMs) for some time. The motto would become a fashion statement.

Advertisement

“One day, we just got tees in different colors and slapped ‘Chasing M’s’ on the front of them and posted a picture up on Twitter and got it started like that,” Moglo said. “That’s the backdrop of how we started selling clothes.”

Before Hamlin’s injury, Chasing M’s already was well known in Pittsburgh, Moglo said. It was part of Hamlin’s way of connecting with youth and a way to give back to his hometown. Moglo added that though Pittsburgh-area youth league teams already were sporting the gear, the national buzz in the last week has been on another level.

THE WAIT IS OVER‼️ #chasingMs shirts available NOW! pic.twitter.com/4zSMOm85mU

— Chasing Ⓜ️illions (@chasingMs_) October 11, 2019

“It’s just crazy, because we were sitting around looking at these flannel shirts we had and a couple of other things we had,” Moglo said. “We were thinking about doing a buy one, get one for free. We thought we would never get that (merchandise) off like that. Next thing you know, overnight, everything’s gone.

“It was a big movement around the city. Everybody put it in their bios, and everyone just knew what it was. It’s just chasing your dreams no matter what lane you’re in. It’s just finding your lane and staying in it, chasing M’s, chasing your dreams. It doesn’t even have to be football.”

Hamlin’s connection with Pitt, where he starred before being drafted by Buffalo in 2021, was apparent last week. Pitt men’s basketball guards Nike Sibande and Nelly Cummings are friends of Hamlin’s. Sibande reached out to Moglo, who delivered shirts to the men’s basketball team to wear before last Tuesday’s win over Virginia. The women’s basketball team also has shirts.

Bigger than basketball

We love you, Damar

🙏💙🙏💛 pic.twitter.com/f03YZwOaxh

— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) January 4, 2023

We love you, 3 💙💛#H2P // @HamlinIsland pic.twitter.com/q3olF7aQdj

— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_WBB) January 5, 2023

Local high school athletes have announced their college commitments wearing Chasing M’s gear. One of those athletes was Rodney Gallagher, a two-sport standout who signed to play football at West Virginia.

Advertisement

A four-star athlete, Gallagher is from Uniontown, Pa., which is roughly 55 miles from Pittsburgh. In his commitment video from May, Gallagher wore a full Chasing M’s sweatsuit.

Made my decision for the next 4 years ✍🏽 pic.twitter.com/p8lGRNGMet

— Rodney Gallagher 3rd (LLC💕) (@Rodney_G3) May 25, 2022

Hamlin’s involvement in the Pittsburgh area and his dedication to helping young athletes with his accessibility are easily noticeable. One of the athletes who benefited from Hamlin’s availability is Ta’Mere Robinson, a linebacker from Brashear High School who has signed to play football for Penn State next season. Hamlin already had been a mentor to Robinson, connecting with the prep star as he became a four-star recruit.

When Pennsylvania laws changed this past year to allow name, image and likeness deals, Robinson had an idea.

“I reached out to Damar because I love the clothing brand Chasing M’s. I was like, ‘How would you feel about partnering up with me?’” Robinson said. “He was like, ‘That’s great, little bro, let’s do it.’”

That deal made Robinson Chasing M’s first NIL athlete.

I am Excited to announce my FIRST Partnership with ChasingMss on a NIL Deal.
I can’t wait to see what our future holds for us! 🔥

@HamlinIsland #ChasingMssⓂ️ #FirstNIL #ImageandLikeness pic.twitter.com/aq2gPCH9ne

— ᴛᴀᴅᴅᴇʀ ③ (@TaMereRobinson3) December 12, 2022

“That day he was like, let’s do it,” Robinson said. “We already had the relationship, so he was like, let’s look out for him.”

Chasing M’s is something Hamlin views as a way to give back, and he is sincere in using it to help those coming up behind him. Photographer/videographer Ben Tenuta was a freshman at Point Park University in Pittsburgh when he sent Hamlin a message, offering to record Hamlin’s pre-draft workouts in 2021 for free. He already was a fan of Hamlin’s and figured the two worst outcomes would be either Hamlin ignored the message or just said no.

Advertisement

To his surprise, Hamlin responded. Since then, Tenuta has photographed many of Hamlin’s events, including a Chasing M’s pop-up shop.

The brand is synonymous with Hamlin, Tenuta said.

“He’s always used that hashtag,” Tenuta said. “Chasing M’s, that’s always been his motto — chasing your dreams.”

At the core of the brand is seeing everyone succeed. It’s a reason Hamlin remains loved in Pittsburgh and why so many young athletes have looked up to him.

“He didn’t have to do that NIL for me, but he chose to because he wants to see the next kid be where he’s at,” Robinson said. “He’s like, ‘I didn’t have this when I was younger, so I want to give you the knowledge.’ He always wants to see the next man win.”

Tenuta now is a junior at Point Park who shoots a lot of high school sports in and around Pittsburgh. He sees and hears a lot about Hamlin’s support. Sometimes that’s as simple as dropping a comment and the Chasing M’s hashtag on the social media post of an athlete.

“He’s just really a kind, caring person in the city of Pittsburgh,” Tenuta said. “A lot of these local kids look up to him. He seems to always be there for the high school kids.”

Damar is one of the most kind and caring individuals I ever met. Just a great person who is more than just an athlete always giving back to the city and the community in Pittsburgh and McKees Rocks where he grew up. Hoping and praying for the best for him and his family. 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/iq9cWDtg0y

— Ben Tenuta (@BenTenuta) January 3, 2023

Moglo said Hamlin doesn’t hesitate to give out free gear to youths he might encounter when he’s back in Pittsburgh, including football gloves and cleats. The objective not only is to push Chasing M’s LLC as a clothing brand but also as a means to give back. There are plans to add more NIL athletes, too.

Advertisement

Because for Hamlin, it’s all about chasing the millions, chasing the dreams. And seeing that others do the same.

(Photo: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2ltanFnaHxzfJFsZmlpX2Z9cK%2FHmqqippdiurR5w5qkmqpdna6uuMinZg%3D%3D

 Share!