Bills Mafia Donates to Rival QB Tua Tagovailoa Charity Following Concussion
The AFC East is home to some of the NFL's best rivalries, with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins setting the stage to become the next great one for years to come.
However, while the animosity between the two teams and their fan bases is evident when the two square off, much of that ill will disappear when a player for either team is injured. In this case that player is Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who exited the Week 3 matchup against the Bills temporarily with a back injury.
Tagovailoa, who led the Dolphins to a 21-19 victory, cleared concussion protocol in the victory - amid controversy - and would play four days later against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the first half of the Bengals game he would be carted off the field and entered the concussion protocol.
As a result, Bills fans everywhere flooded Tagovailoa's charity foundation with thousands of donations. The most common amounts were $21.19, the final score of their Week 3 matchup, and $17.01 which represents Josh Allen's No. 17 and Tagovailoa's No. 1.
Tagovailoa's charity, the Tua Foundation, is, "dedicated to the support of youth initiatives, health and wellness, and other charitable causes."
Bills' fans are well-known for being one of the best fan bases in the NFL, showing a dedication to their team but not letting it spill into toxic treatment of opposing players.
In fact, this is not the first instance of the Bills Mafia flooding opposing players' charity foundations with donations. Last season when Baltimore Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered a concussion, Bills fans donated roughly $150,000 to a charity of his preference in his college city of Louisville.
Most notably, when the Bills snapped their 17-year playoff drought in 2017, they did so thanks to then Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who beat the Ravens to help the Bills clinch their playoff berth.
This would lead to Bills' fans donating over $400,000 to Dalton and his wife's charity, showing their gratitude in a noble manner. Dalton was so grateful for the large amount donated that he took a portion of the proceeds received to a Buffalo cancer center.
There is no hiding the disdain that the Dolphins and Bills fans feel towards each other, especially with the two teams primed to compete for the division. However, at the end of the day it is just a game, and Bills Mafia continues to show why they make up one of the best fan bases in the NFL.
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