After a hard-fought battle with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, Buffalo Bills fans came through in droves to support his charity.
The Buffalo Bills weren’t in a giving mood during the AFC Divisional playoffs, as they didn’t turn the ball over in their 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Their fanbase, on the other hand, was another story.
Shortly after Buffalo wrapped up their first visit to the AFC Championship Game since 1994, the base known as Bills Mafia came through in droves for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Bills supporters began donating to one of Jackson’s favorite charities, Louisville-based “Blessings in a Backpack”, many in increments of eight dollars, matching the number on Jackson’s Ravens jersey.
“Our donation box just started flooding with donations from Bills fans for Lamar,” Chief Marketing Officer Nikki Grizzle said in a report from Mike Reiss of ESPN. “It’s just been overwhelming, in the best possible way.”
Grizzle told Reiss that, as of Sunday afternoon, over $240,000 have come in for the charity since Saturday’s game. The collaborative gesture from Bills Mafia is an act of goodwill toward the injured Jackson, who left Saturday’s game early with a head injury. Jackson first became affiliating with the charity during his days at the University of Louisville and has remained active in its endeavors, routinely making monetary or memorabilia donations. Blessings in a Backpack’s mission statement is defined on their website as “(mobilizing) communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry”.
Bills Mafia, perhaps best known for their gameday antics, has become well knows for its philanthropy for both Buffalo representatives and their opponents in recent years. After the 2017 regular season finale, Bills fans donated over $415,000 to Andy Dalton’s personal foundation after the then-Cincinnati Bengals quarterback led a game-winning drive to defeat the Ravens, helping the Bills clinch their first playoff berth since the 1999-2000 season. The fans haven’t forgotten their own athletic heroes, famously coming through for quarterback Josh Allen through donations to the Oishei Children’s Hospital after the passing of his grandmother. Further information on donations to Blessings in a Backpack can be found here.
The Bills will continue their Super Bowl trek on Sunday evening, taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game (6:40 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags