What now seems like a million years ago, I read Tim Russert's simply beautiful tribute to his dad and to growing up in his beloved Buffalo, New York in the 1950's. If you have not read Big Russ & Me: Father & Son: Lessons of Life, then might I suggest you do so. I enjoyed the hell out of it. If you read it, then I hope you do too.
I smiled on Monday because I came across a story on SI.com that made me think of the late great Mr. Russert, his beloved Bills, and the die-hard Bills fans known as the Bills Mafia. On Saturday night, the Bills hosted the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The Bills defeated the Ravens 17-3 and earned the right to play the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend in the AFC Championship Game. The Bills last played for the AFC Championship in 1993.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore's quarterback, was knocked out of Saturday night's game with an injury. He left the field at the end of the third quarter. He did not return. One of his favorite charities is the Louisville, Kentucky chapter of Blessings in a Backpack, whose mission is to "mobilize communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry." While his departure from the game favored the Bills, Bills' fans showed their appreciation not simply for the type of player Lamar Jackson is but, more importantly, the type of man he is by stepping up and donating to Blessings in a Backpack in his honor.
In less than twenty-four hours, often in amounts of $8.00 (in honor of Jackson's #8) or $17.00 (in honor of Bills' quarterback Josh Allen's #17), Bills' fans donated almost $300,000 to the Louisville chapter of Blessings in a Backpack. An extraordinary gesture fueled by men and women who did it simply because it struck them as the right thing to do.
Bravo, Bills Mafia, bravo.
-AK
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