Josh Allen’s dad Joel Allen has been a regular at Bills games, but the quarterback’s father will miss the Buffalo-Kansas City matchup as he continues to recover from COVID-19, per the Los Angeles Times’ Sam Farmer. Joel is not only recovering from COVID but also pneumonia, a combination that prompted him to be hospitalized in early January.
Joel and LaVonne Allen, who have two sons and two daughters, seldom miss one of Josh’s games. They fly all over the country every fall weekend to see him play. But Joel won’t be at Sunday’s game because he’s recovering from the coronavirus and a bout with pneumonia that landed him in the hospital this month.
Josh’s Mom LaVonne Will Attend the Bills-Chiefs Game
The good news is Josh’s mom LaVonne Allen along with other family members will be in Kansas City cheering on her son in the AFC Championship, per Farmer. When Josh was growing up, LaVonne ran a restaurant aptly called The Farmer’s Daughter.
“My kids were in high school right around the corner,” LaVonne told The Casper Star-Tribune in a 2017 interview. “My baby girl was right behind me at her school. My older daughter was doing her thing in Long Beach. So it was a great time for me to have the restaurant. It kept me busy. My boys always knew where I was.”
Josh on His Dad: ‘He’s the Most Selfless Man I Know’
Josh grew up working on the family farm with his parents in the small town of Firebaugh, California. Facing opposing NFL defenses may seem easy for Josh compared to his daily responsibilities on the farm. Josh credits his dad for giving him the work ethic that helped him reach the NFL after being a lightly recruited quarterback coming out of high school.
“It instilled a work ethic,” Josh explained to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach in 2017. “Seeing my dad wake up super early when the sun wasn’t even out and then coming home when the sun was set, he worked his tail off to provide for our family and did a great job. He’s the most selfless man I know, and I think if I’m half the man he is, I’ll be all right in this world.”
Now, Josh is hoping for a speedy recovery for his father. Joel may not be in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium, but there is little doubt he will be watching as his son attempts to make his first Super Bowl.
Joel on Bills QB: ‘He’s Not Afraid of Hard Work’
The early wake-up calls may have seemed less than ideal when he was a child but there was a reason Joel wanted the couple’s four kids to work on the farm. Prior to the NFL draft, Joel praised his son noting the quarterback is “not afraid of hard work.”
“We basically have row crops — cotton, cantaloupes, small grains — and a lot of it requires sprinklers or movable irrigation pipes, and Josh was always involved in that,” Joel told the Denver Post. “If I wanted him to drive a tractor, he was there. He even chopped cotton. He did it all. I think that helped him with his work ethic. He’s not afraid of hard work.”
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Josh Allen’s Dad Joel Allen Is Recovering From COVID-19: Report