Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen revealed his grandmother died one day before the team took on the Seattle Seahawks, and that’s when fans took action. According to ABC 7 in Buffalo, Bills fans raised $300,000 for Oishei Children’s Hospital in less than 72 hours. The majority of the donations were $17, which is Allen’s jersey number.
The idea first came about on Reddit and grew from there. The Bills defeated the Seahawks on Sunday, and after the game, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said (as reported by The Spun): “Listen, Josh was emotional. You probably heard, he lost his grandmother last night. It was a big win and a great thing for him to play like he played. He’s just a mentally tough young man.” Allen went to Twitter to express his gratitude for the fans who have donated.
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At a loss for words. Buffalo, I love you. https://t.co/HdhoK0zUp3
— Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) November 9, 2020
Didn’t take long #BillsMafia You’ve passed $300,000 in donations honoring Patricia Allen 💙 On behalf of our patients and staff thank you for making an impact on their lives.
— Oishei Children’s Hospital (@OCHBuffalo) November 11, 2020
“I can’t tell you how special it is to see the outpouring of support for me and my family during this tough time,” Allen said on the Bills official website. “The donations made to OCH in honor of my grandmother would make her so proud. Thank you Bills Mafia! It is an honor to be your quarterback.”
Allen was a big reason the Bills came away with a 44-34 win on Sunday as he threw for 415 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions with a 138.5 passer rating. The Wyoming alum also ran for a touchdown, and he was recently named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Allen is the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for at least 400 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and have a 130 passer rating in multiple games.
“I think the last few weeks, we’ve been moving the heck out of the ball,” Allen said on the team’s official website. “We just haven’t been putting many points on the board. It was good today. We got some touchdowns instead of field goals. Still left a lot of meat on the bone though, and I truly mean that.”
