Bills fans raise nearly $80,000 for Ravens’ Andrews’ charitable cause after missed 2-point try

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — After one of the low points of his career, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is getting a much-deserved pick-me-up from Buffalo Bills fans and others.

A GoFundMe page started by Nicholas Howard, 19 approached $80,000 in donations starting Wednesday evening, proceeds will benefit Andrews’ charitable cause, Breakthrough T1D, a type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization.

In the space of 24 hours, Howard went from standing in the stands to cheering Bills cruise to 27-25 win over Baltimore during the divisional playoffs Sunday, to kick off the fundraiser. He did so in response to Andrews being the center of criticism, including death threats, on social media following his loss of a fumble and abandonment of a potential conversion of 2 points tying the game with 1:33 left.

“I feel so bad because it’s a bunch of idiots making these hateful comments,” Howard told The Associated Press by telephone.

“He busted his butt to get where he is and he obviously had no intention of dropping that pass. He made a mistake and everyone makes mistakes,” he added. “He does so much for the community, and it’s ridiculous that they would do this to him.”

Andrews has refused to speak publicly since the defeat, although he received lots of support from teammates and coaches.

“Mark is a complete competitor. He will be fine,” said fullback Patrick Ricard. “He’s going to suffer for a while, but he’s going to continue to do great things.”

In the meantime, the Ravens posted a message on X thanking Bills Mafia for their support.

Pam Morrisroe, marketing director for Breakthrough T1D, said she and her staff were overwhelmed by the donations made in such a short time.

“It was obviously upsetting to see the negative reactions to Sunday’s game. But to see that change overnight through this GoFundMe is just incredible,” Morrisroe told the AP.

“It’s amazing to see this level of support and compassion. And we so appreciate fundraising to do this. It’s amazing,” she added. “I know it must have been a very difficult situation, but I hope (Andrews) sees the good in it too. And we can’t thank him enough for how he’s been such a strong supporter of our organization.

This is the last time Bills fans rally behind the players.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent to then-Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton’s charitable foundation after he led Cincinnati in a rally to beat Baltimore in the 2017 regular season finale, the defeat of the Ravens having secured Buffalo its first playoff berth in 18 seasons.

In 2020, more than $1 million in donations were made to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo in honor of quarterback Josh Allen after the death of his grandmother Patricia. A year ago, more than $300,000 in donations were raised for Bills kicker Tyler Bass’ charitable causea local cat rescue shelter, after coming under fire for missing a potential game-tying 44-yard attempt in the final minutes of a 27-24 divisional playoff loss to Kansas City.

“That’s definitely one of the main reasons I wanted to start it, because it’s been done in the past, and I know Bills Mafia can do it again,” said Howard, whose original goal of $5,000 fundraiser was exceeded within hours of the page launch. . “I love the NFL and I love the players and the way they represent all these types of charities. …And I just want to give back to them what they gave back to others.”

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