On Sunday, several Buffalo Bills players took part in safety Micah Hyde’s charity softball game at Sahlen Field, home of the AAA Buffalo Bisons minor-league baseball team. Quarterback Josh Allen appeared to be the star of the show.
WAS THERE ANY DOUBT?!?!
JOSH ALLEN IS YOUR @micah_hyde Home Run Derby 2022 Champion!!@LabattUSA pic.twitter.com/vpGh829uok
— Trainwreck Sports (@TrainwreckSprts) May 15, 2022
Sadly, the game was played (and nearly cancelled) in the wake of the Saturday mass shooting that left 10 dead and three injured. Hyde said that he didn’t feel right about the game going on at first, but after talking to others involved in the event, he decided to go ahead with it.
Micah Hyde wasn’t sure if his charity softball game should go on today, but ultimately they decided that bringing the community of Buffalo together could be a positive. pic.twitter.com/LHp6bBLoDr
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) May 15, 2022
“We felt it was important to get the community out, get some smiles on their face [and] get the players in front of them,” Hyde said. “”We’re going to spread love today for the youth and Western New York, but on top of that, the families that unfortunately had to go through that event yesterday.”
Hyde also announced that portions of the proceeds from the game would go to the families of the stricken.
Gunman Payton Gendron, 18 posted a racist manifesto online before opening fire at a Tops Supermarkets in Buffalo. The FBI is investigating the shooting as a hate crime, as Gendron traveled 230 miles from his hometown to a predominantly Black neighborhood. Gendron’s vitriol was based primarily on the racist theory that white people are being replaced by people of color — a disgusting and ridiculous trope frequently echoed by people in high places like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican.
Gendron stated in his document that his goals were to “kill as many Blacks as possible,” “avoid dying,” and “spread ideals.”
“It’s hard to wrap my head around it,” Allen said of the shooting. “The heartbreak, this weird feeling that I have, and my heart goes out to the victims and their families. We really haven’t talked as a team yet — we’ll be in the building tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll talk about it, [and] fire out a way to help the families out.
“It’s something that… you never think it’s going to happen in your community. And when it does, when it hits home… I was sick to my stomach all day yesterday. I was flying back from my sister’s graduation, and… it’s gut-wrenching. It really is. We’ll talk as a team tomorrow and figure out what we want to do. There’s no doubt that we want to do something.”
#Bills QB Josh Allen shared his thoughts on yesterday's tragedy after Micah Hyde's charity softball game.
"I was sick to my stomach all day yesterday." @WKBW #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/QY5CeyXcr9
— Adam Unger (@AdamUnger_7) May 15, 2022
