Bills Fans Unhappy with Refs in Loss to Bucs Donate to Charity for Visually Impaired
December 16, 2021
Bills Mafia is once again flexing its charitable muscles following Sunday's loss to the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Buffalo mounted a comeback from a 24-3 deficit and had an opportunity to win the game on the final drive of regulation, but a controversial no-call—on a play that replays appeared to show was clearly defensive pass interference against wide receiver Stefon Diggs—led instead to a tying field goal.
It was one of several penalty decisions that went against the Bills. That frustration was compounded by the officials making an iffy pass-inference call against cornerback Levi Wallace in overtime to help set up Tom Brady's game-winning touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman for the Bucs.
Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News reported Thursday that Bills fans have responded by donating over $40,000 to VIA: Visually Impaired Advancement, a nonprofit organization in the city, as a jab toward the refs' lack of vision during Sunday's game.
VIA: Visually Impaired Advancement @viawnyWe have seen an incredibly charitable day! Our new total is $40,000. We appreciate your support <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BillsMafia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BillsMafia</a>! We will keep you updated. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VisuallyImpairedAdvancement?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VisuallyImpairedAdvancement</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBills?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBills</a> <a href="https://t.co/DM2GYjymD8">pic.twitter.com/DM2GYjymD8</a>
"This is getting us back into the community," VIA's Samantha Burfiend told Fitzgerald. "Maybe there is someone who's visually impaired … and they can find us, and they can give us a call, and we can help them and support them, and using donations toward that support."
It's the latest in a long line of examples of the Bills Mafia, the nickname given to the team's fanbase, helping charities for a wide variety of reasons.
The trend began on New Year's Eve 2017, when donations flooded in to the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation after the then-Cincinnati Bengals quarterback threw a touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens that helped the Bills end a 17-year playoff drought. Those donations topped $415,000.
More recently, Bills fans donated over $100,000 to the Food Bank of Northern Louisiana after cornerback Tre'Davious White, a Louisiana native, suffered a season-ending torn ACL in a Thanksgiving Day game against the New Orleans Saints.
The fanbase's giving has continued despite a season that's yet to live up to expectations. The Bills, which entered the year with Super Bowl dreams after reaching the AFC Championship Game last season, own a mediocre 7-6 record and sit on the playoff fringe.
Buffalo will look to jump-start a late-season surge Sunday when it hosts the Carolina Panthers at Highmark Stadium.