Buffalo Bills fans are determined to make it right, after kicker Tyler Bass missed a game-tying field goal and online bullying led him to deactivate his social media accounts.
Following Sunday’s game in which the NFL player missed a 44-yard field goal that would have brought the Bills even with the Kansas City Chiefs with less than 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Bass started getting hateful threats. And after the 27-24 loss was final, the 26-year-old turned off his X and Instagram accounts.
But Ten Lives Club, a no-kill cat rescue and shelter in Erie County, N.Y., is determined to support the athlete. In the last two days, the organization has raised more than $100,000 in Bass’s honor, they say.
“Everyone at our cat shelter has been a big fan of his, so to see the negativity and hate that was coming his way hurt our hearts,” Kimberly LaRussa, public relations manager of the shelter, tells PEOPLE. “We have a huge photo of Tyler and one of our kittens framed in our shelter lobby so everyone can see it as soon as they walk into the shelter. We just wanted everyone to know what a great guy he is.”
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The rescue is encouraging fans to donate $22 in recognition of Bass’s No. 2 jersey. The “wide right” field goal had Bills fans flashing on another devastating moment in franchise history.
In 1991, Bills kicker Scott Norwood missed a 47-yarder with the same unfortunate trajectory — which cost the club a championship in Super Bowl XXV.
Sunday’s outcome weighs heavily on Bass, who was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.“It’s completely on me,” he told reporters. “I’ve got to do a better job of getting through to my target. I’ve got to do a better job of playing it a little bit more left when you have a left to right [wind]. I’ve been here long enough to know that you have to do that.”
For Ten Lives Club, however, Bass has already made a lasting impact. “We are so grateful to everyone for their support and for having Tyler’s back,” LaRussa says. “We hope this brings him a smile knowing what a difference he is making.”