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Buffalo Bills fans make sizable donation to Tua Tagovailoa’s charity in wake of Thursday night concussion
By Sean Labar
Published:
Buffalo Bills fans may be some of the most passionate, wild (and sometimes even a little insane) fan bases throughout the NFL.
The Bills are known for having raucous crowds who leap through tables during tailgates, pelt snowballs at officials during games and are often shirtless in below-freezing temperatures.
There’s no doubt the Bills fans love their team — but in several major instances — Buffalo fans have shown a softer, more empathetic side that can’t be ignored.
On Thursday night in a matchup against their division rival Dolphins, Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa was forced to leave the game after suffering a terrifying head injury in the third quarter. Tagovailoa has a well-documented history of severe concussions, so when the injury happened, just about everyone who follows the NFL gasped and hoped for the best for the Dolphins’ starting signal caller.
Ultimately, Tagovailoa was diagnosed with a concussion and is currently in the NFL’s protocol, with no timeline for his return to the field.
According to ESPN, Tagovailoa‘s foundation received nearly 1,000 donations reaching almost $18,000 due to Bills fans promoting his charity on social media.
The foundation confirmed to ESPN that many of the addresses came from in and around Buffalo.
This isn’t the first time Bills Mafia has rallied to support their rival QB, either.
After Tagovailoa suffered a concussion against the Bengals in 2022, Buffalo die-hards organized a fundraiser for his foundation that resulted in over 1,700 donations.
Bills’ Mafia may be ruthless when cheering for their team, but they have developed a reputation for charitable acts toward players from other teams and even their rivals over the years.
In 2017, the Bills needed the Bengals to beat the Ravens in the final matchup of the season to secure a trip to the playoffs. With 53 seconds remaining, Bengals QB Andy Dalton threw a game-winning 49-yard TD pass that secured the win, and a trip to the postseason for Buffalo.
It marked the first time Buffalo had reached the playoffs in 17 years.
Within two days of this game, Bills Mafia donated roughly $250,000 to the Bengals quarterback’s charity foundation, the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation, which assists ill children in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Fort Worth, Texas.
In 2021, Buffalo beat the Ravens in the Divisional playoff game. Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson left the game in the third quarter due to a concussion. And 2 days later, one of Jackson’s favorite charities received 13,600 donations from the Bills Mafia — Blessings in a Backpack.
Bills Mafia does it right.
Sean Labar is an SEC football contributor for Saturday Down South.
