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It’s easy to paint Bills kicker Tyler Bass as the scapegoat for Buffalo’s loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round, but a ton of fans have gone out of their way to support the kicker by donating to a charity he’s worked with after he missed a crucial field goal at the end of the contest.
Fans of the Buffalo Bills were already very familiar with the pain that comes with watching a kicker miss a pivotal field goal wide right prior to their showdown with Kansas City courtesy of Scott Norwood’s infamous attempt at the end of Super Bowl XXV.
The franchise still hasn’t been able to exorcise those demons more than 30 years after that fateful moment, and while Bass had the chance to bring them one step closer to redemption with a game-tying field goal in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter on Sunday, he essentially sealed Buffalo’s fate by failing to convert the 44-yard boot.
There’s no guarantee the Bills would’ve gone on to secure the victory if Bass had made the field goal, and even if he had, Patrick Mahomes still would’ve had around 1:45 (and two timeouts) to work with while trying to stage a game-winning drive.
It’s consequently a bit shortsighted to blame Bass for the loss, although it’s safe to assume he decided to deactivate his social media accounts courtesy of people who decided to do exactly that.
However, there are plenty of members of Bills Mafia who’ve gone out of their way to show support for Bass, as Buffalo News reports the Ten Lives Club—a cat adoption charity located in a suburb of the city his team calls home—says it’s received a flood of donations in the kicker’s name courtesy of supporters who’ve rallied around him.
Bass worked with the organization last year, and it said it had received more than $25,000 (primarily in $22 increments as a nod to his jersey number) as of Monday night.
ICYMI: The @tenlivesclub received more than $25,000 dollars in donations by Monday evening, with more than $15,000 coming in through a social media fundraiser where they encouraged Bills fans not to be so critical of their friend Tyler Bass. https://t.co/lQzrOnT36b
— News 4 Buffalo (@news4buffalo) January 23, 2024
This is far from the first time Bills fans have pulled a similar move, as they’ve not only rallied around players on the team but targeted charities affiliated with guys who play for other franchises.
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