The Buffalo Bills came face to face with their third playoff defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. As the game reached its final minutes, all eyes were on kicker Tyler Bass, whose field goal could’ve given the Bills a lifeline. When the kick went up, it was in line with the right goal post, but quickly made a right-hand turn for the miss. The loss became a personal loss for a dejected Bass. He took the miss hard, and it probably didn’t help matters that fans brutally turned against him, blaming him for the loss.
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However, supporters soon started rallying behind him. On Monday, fans started pouring donations into the Ten Live Club, his charity of choice, which is a non-kill cat adoption group. The non-profit organization, on Monday itself, received over $25,000 in donations, of which $15,000 came through a Facebook Fundraiser.
During the fundraiser, they also urged football fans to shift their focus from criticism and support the Bills placekicker who has also won them many games. This resonated with Bass’ fans who made the fundraiser a success. Numerous supporters donated $22, symbolizing the No.2 Bills kicker wears in his uniform. Kimberly LaRussa, the public relations manager for Ten Lives Club stated,
“Leave our friend alone. He’s a great guy. He’s a good person and we think you should leave him alone. We’re Tyler Bass’ biggest fans here at Ten Lives Club. It’s not every day that a celebrity that helps out an organization, and he is a celebrity that does.”
Tyler Bass actively promotes animal welfare through the organization’s “Show Your Soft Side” campaign, choosing to support cats. The nonprofit takes in cats of all circumstances without relying on donations. Moreover, the funds raised will stay in Western New York and will help bring aid to the local animals in search of a new home. This hopefully raises the spirits of Bass, who took the loss especially hard.
Tyler Bass Deactivates Social Media After Bills’ Loss
Amid intense online criticism and even death threats following the Bills’ loss in the Divisional Round Game on Sunday, the star player has deactivated all his social media accounts. After the game Tyler Bass owned up to the loss, saying it was entirely his fault. He stated,
“I’ve got to do a better job of playing it a little bit more left when you have a left-to-right [wind]. I’ve been here long enough to know that you have to do that. You know, I was trusting my line that I had in warmups. Hit a good ball, but it didn’t work out.”
Tyler admitted the need to aim better and adjust to the weather conditions. He concluded by expressing his love for the team while acknowledging the pain of the defeat. In addition to the Sunday defeat, he had a rather average season, concluding both the regular and postseason with the lowest field goal percentage in his four-year career at 76.5%.
With a commitment to improving, he aims to lead Buffalo to victories in the upcoming seasons. Moreover, despite the negative comments, the support his admirers have shown by donating to Ten Live Club will only fuel his determination to make a strong comeback next season.
