ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — After facing one of the toughest moments in his career, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is receiving an unexpected boost from Buffalo Bills fans.
A GoFundMe campaign started by 19-year-old Nicholas Howard had raised nearly $80,000 by Wednesday evening, with the funds going to support Andrews’ charity, Breakthrough T1D, which advocates for Type 1 diabetes research.
Just 24 hours after cheering for the Bills to secure a 27-25 victory over Baltimore in a divisional playoff on Sunday, Howard decided to launch the fundraiser. His decision came in response to the harsh criticism Andrews received online, including death threats, after a fumble and a failed 2-point conversion attempt with 1:33 left in the game.
“I feel so bad because it’s just a bunch of people hiding behind their screens making these hateful comments,” Howard told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
“He’s worked incredibly hard to get to where he is, and he obviously didn’t mean to drop that pass. He made a mistake, and everyone makes mistakes,” Howard continued. “He does so much for the community, and it’s ridiculous that they would treat him this way.”
Andrews has refrained from making any public statements since the loss, but he has received an outpouring of support from his teammates and coaches.
“Mark’s a total competitor. He’ll bounce back,” said fullback Patrick Ricard. “It’s going to sting for a while, but he’ll continue to do amazing things.”
In the meantime, the Ravens expressed their gratitude to Bills Mafia on X for their support.
Pam Morrisroe, the chief marketing officer of Breakthrough T1D, shared her appreciation for the overwhelming donations that came in so quickly.
“Seeing the backlash after Sunday’s game was upsetting, but to witness this outpouring of support through the GoFundMe overnight is simply incredible,” Morrisroe told The AP.
“It’s amazing to see such compassion and support, and we’re incredibly grateful to the fundraiser for organizing this. I hope Mark sees the positive side of it too. We can’t thank him enough for being such a strong advocate for our cause,” she added.
This act of generosity from Bills fans is just the latest in a long history of supporting players in tough moments.
In 2017, after Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton led his team to a win over Baltimore, which helped Buffalo make the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, Bills fans raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Dalton’s charitable foundation. In 2020, they raised over $1 million for Buffalo’s Oishei Children’s Hospital in honor of quarterback Josh Allen after his grandmother passed away. Just last year, Bills fans raised over $300,000 for a local cat rescue shelter, benefiting kicker Tyler Bass’ charity after he faced criticism for missing a game-tying field goal against Kansas City.
“That’s why I wanted to do it — because it’s been done before, and I knew Bills Mafia could pull it off again,” Howard explained, whose initial goal of $5,000 was shattered within hours of the campaign’s launch. “I love the NFL and how players support so many great causes, and I just wanted to give back to them for everything they do.”
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