Bills Mafia raises thousands for diabetes charity supported by Ravens player
Nicholas Howard and Ryan Patota
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bills Mafia is showing generosity after their team beat the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday.
Late into the fourth quarter, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped a pass during a two-point conversion, which would have tied the game. According to organizers of a GoFundMe, Andrews has gotten death threats for dropping that pass.
To support Andrews, Bills fans Nicholas Howard and Ryan Patota started a GoFundMe for a charity Andrews supports, which helps people living with Type 1 diabetes. As of Thursday morning, the charity Breakthrough T1D has gotten nearly $100,000 in donations, about $40,000 away from its goal.
“On our social media, we see all these comments from Ravens fans, of course, on other pages, very distasteful and hurtful comments towards Mark Andrews. And a typical Buffalo thing to do would be to start a fundraiser,” Howard said.
On social media, the Ravens thanked Bills Mafia for donating:
Breakthrough T1D has given over $2.5 billion to research diabetes. It also collaborates with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate partners to develop innovative therapies for people with Type 1 diabetes. Both the Bills and the Ravens have officially backed the fundraiser.
Last year, Bills Mafia also donated to a charity but it was after the Bills’ season ended with a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs. Tyler Bass got negative comments after missing a game-tying field goal in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs. Bills Mafia sought to turn the negativity around by raising over $260,000 for The Ten Lives Club, a cat rescue organization in Erie County.