The Buffalo Bills and the rest of the Western New York community is mourning following a race-based attack at a super market in the region this past weekend killed 10 innocenet poeple.
The attack took place at a Tops Friendly Markets within the confines of a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo and was racially-motivated.
In the days leading up to 10 innocent people being killed by the terrorist, the Bills have stepped up to the plate to help a community impacted by the horrific events of this past Saturday.
That now includes the organization announcing that it will commit $200,000 to help support the community’s response to the tragedy. In turn, the NFL Foundation has also pledged another $200,000 to help with the response.
“On behalf of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, we are most grateful for the generous contributions from the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the National Football League Foundation that will allow us to create real change and emerge from the darkness of this heinous act,” Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo said, via the Bills’ official website. “This Fund is a partnership to build upon the collective desire to take action and to work together as a community to address immediate needs, long-term rebuilding and systemic issues that continue to marginalize communities of color.”
It was earlier on Wednesday that several Buffalo Bills players visited a memorial honoring the victims of the senseless attack. That included star quarterback Josh Allen.
Allen himself has also spoken out on the attack as one of the faces of the community dating back to his first season with the Buffalo Bills back in 2018.
“It’s still hard to wrap my head around it. I tweeted it, just the heartbreak, the sense of this weird feeling that I have. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. We really haven’t talked as a team yet.”
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen on Saturday’s terrorist attack
Buffalo Bills continue to raise funds, awareness after Saturday’s attack
Allen joined fellow teammates in taking part in defensive back Micah Hyde’s annual charity softball game one day after the attack. The charity softball game ended up acting as another way to help raise money for those most impacted as Hyde announced a portion of the proceeds would go to the families.
Of the 13 people that were shot by the terrorist, 11 were black. The suspect had posted a manifesto on social media before live-streaming the attack. In it, he displayed racist ideology and cited the great replacement theory, which has been a calling card for far-right white supremacists over the years.
For the Buffalo Bills and many of their players, this obviously hit home in a big way. The nature of the attack was not lost on them, either.
“I heard the news yesterday and was simply shocked. I still can’t believe it. But when there’s hate in the world, you kind of erase it with love and coming out here today and showing the community love, love to the youth, love to the community, love to the foundation. I guess that’s the way to combat it. We had a bunch of conversations yesterday and into this morning.”
Buffalo Bills’ Micah Hyde on the attack
Our thoughts continue to go out by those most impacted by the terrorist attack. With that as a backdrop, it’s also great to see the Buffalo Bills and their players come together at a time of utmost need within the community.
This is what sports should define. It’s not always about the performance on the field. These organizations can act as leaders. The players can do so much good. It’s something that isn’t covered a lot. They are community leaders. By in large, they continue to act like it. These Buffalo Bills are just the latest example.