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Following one of his career’s low points, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is getting a much-needed pick-me-up from Buffalo Bills fans, of all people.
A GoFundMe page launched by 19-year-old Nicholas Howard was approaching $80,000 in donations as of Wednesday evening, with proceeds going toward Andrews’ charitable cause, Breakthrough T1D, a Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization.
In a matter of 24 hours, Howard went from being in the stands, cheering the Bills to a 27-25 win over Baltimore in a divisional playoff on Sunday, to starting the fundraiser. He did so in response to Andrews being the focus of criticism, including receiving death threats on social media in the aftermath of him losing a fumble and dropping a potential game-tying 2-point conversion with 1:33 left.
“I feel so bad because it’s a bunch of couch potatoes out there that are saying these hate comments,” Howard told The Associated Press by phone.
“He busted his butt to get where he is and he didn’t mean to drop that pass, obviously. 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 that to him.”
Ravens’ TE Mark Andrews explains what it is like playing football with type-1 diabetes and being an inspiration to kids with the disease
Andrews has declined to speak publicly since the loss, though he’s received plenty of support from his teammates and coaches.
“Mark’s a complete competitor. He’ll be fine,” fullback Patrick Ricard said. “He’s going to be hurting for a while, but he’s going to continue to do great things.”
Meantime, the Ravens posted a message on X thanking Bills Mafia for their support.
Pam Morrisroe, Breakthrough T1D chief marketing officer, said she and her staff are overwhelmed by the donations made in such a short time.
“It was obviously upsetting to see the backlash coming out of Sunday’s game. But then to see that turned around overnight through this GoFundMe is just incredible,” Morrisroe told The AP.
“It is incredible to see that level of support and compassion. And we so appreciate the fundraiser for doing this. It’s incredible,” she added. “I know that must have been a very difficult situation, but I hope (Andrews) sees the good in that too. And we cannot thank him enough for how he has been such a strong supporter of our organization.”
This marks the latest time Bills fans have rallied behind players.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent to then-Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton’s charitable foundation after he led Cincinnati in rallying to beat Baltimore in the 2017 regular-season finale, with the Ravens loss clinching Buffalo its first playoff berth in 18 seasons.
In 2020, more than $1 million in donations were made to Buffalo’s Oishei Children’s Hospital in honor of quarterback Josh Allen after his grandmother Patricia died. A year ago, more than $300,000 in donations were raised for Bills kicker Tyler Bass’ charitable cause, a local cat rescue shelter, after he was criticized for missing a potential game-tying 44-yard attempt in the final minutes of a 27-24 divisional playoff round loss to Kansas City.
“That’s definitely a main drive as why 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 initial fundraising goal of $5,000 was broken within hours of the page being launched. “I love the NFL and I love the players and how they represent all these kind of charities. … And I just want to give back to them for giving back to others.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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