![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="439" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
After missing a critical kick at the end of a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass is taking a step back from social media — and fans are rallying to show their support for him.
The veteran kicker deactivated his Instagram page the day after his team’s 27-24 loss in the divisional round, a game where Bass missed what would have been the game-tying 44-yard field goal with just under two minutes remaining. Bass took accountability for his miss and teammates rallied behind him, and now fans are coming to his defense after what they said were “nasty” comments on his social media.
Fans Back Tyler Bass
As USA Today’s Nick Wojton reported, Bass deactivated his Instagram page sometime after the January 21 loss to the Chiefs. While it was not entirely clear why he chose to take down the page, many fans complained about hateful and “nasty” comments that Bass had been receiving after his miss.
“The Bills should bring in another kicker to keep him sharp during preseason. But the nasty DMs and comments? There’s no place for it,” one fan wrote on X.
Many Bills fans chimed in to show their support for the kicker, who earned a $23-million contact extension last offseason. One fan encouraged others to share cards showing their appreciation for Bass.
Others made donations in Bass’s name to the Ten Lives Club, a charity he had supported in the past. The fan base has been known to make donations to show appreciation for members of the team and sometimes opponents.
When Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton led his team to a season finale win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, sending the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, fans raised more than $460,000 for his foundation to show their support. After safey Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse last season from cardiac arrest, fans across the country joined Bills fans in making donations to his foundation, with the total reaching more than $9 million.
Teammates Rally Around Kicker
Bass got plenty of love from his teammates as well. Quarterback Josh Allen found him as the teams ran down the tunnel after the game, sharing a quick embrace to show his support of the kicker who this season passed Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas to reach No. 4 on the list of the franchise’s all-time scoring leaders.
Allen also took some of the blame, saying the offense should not have put Bass in a situation where they needed a field goal in the cold and windy conditions to pull into a tie.
“I wish it wouldn’t have been put in that situation,” Allen told reporters after the game, via CBS Sports. “You win as a team, you lose as a team. One play doesn’t define a game, it doesn’t define a season. I know people are going to be out there saying that. We got to be there for him because again, we execute a couple plays prior, we’re probably singing a different tune right now.”
0 Comments