A local no-kill cat rescue and adoption group has raised more than $200,000 after expressing support for Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass following his high-profile missed field goal in the Bills’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
In the aftermath of the game, which the Chiefs won 27-24, the Ten Lives Club posted on Facebook in support of Bass, who deleted his social media accounts.
“WE STAND WITH TYLER BASS. DON’T BULLY OUR FRIEND,” the organization wrote. “[…]Tyler doesn’t deserve any of the hate he’s receiving. He’s an excellent football player and an even better person who took the time to help our organization and rescue cats last year. Leave our friend alone.”
The post received thousands of likes on Facebook and quickly spread to different platforms. As it did, donations poured in.
In a phone interview with Newsweek, rescue spokesperson Kimberly LaRussa said the organization is grateful for all the “beautiful” support.
“We’ve seen it before among the football fans when something happens, what they do is they rally together, and this is their way of saying thank you and just showing appreciation for that player and that’s what they are doing right now,” LaRussa said. “To be on the receiving end as the organization that’s receiving the funds, it’s just so beautiful. It’s a really beautiful thing to see.”
The effort with Bass began in 2022, when Ten Lives Club worked with a public service campaign called Show Your Soft Side at an event. The campaign teams up with celebrities and athletes to advertise that tough people can still be kind to animals—the Show Your Soft Side website features a photo of 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive tackle Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles cuddling a puppy.
According to LaRussa, most of the athletes at the event gravitated toward dogs. Bass and his fiancee, however, asked to hold the kittens.
“It’s not every day that a Bills player comes and helps the cats,” LaRussa said. “So to meet him and to see that he took the time out of his day to help them and was so happy to do that, it was really sweet.”
Did the kittens like Bass?
“Of course they did,” LaRussa said. “He’s Tyler Bass.”
The agency hasn’t had contact with Bass since, but a photo of Bass holding the kitten is prominently featured in their lobby, and volunteers who work at the agency have been huge fans of the kicker ever since.
“We really hope that Tyler is seeing all of the thousands and thousands of people who are supporting him and appreciate him for helping the rescue cats, because we know we appreciate him,” LaRussa said.
Newsweek reached out to Bass’ representation and the Bills by email to ask if Bass has seen the support.
According to LaRussa, the best estimate as of Wednesday afternoon for total donations was $220,000, but that number doesn’t include Instagram donations or checks that have been sent, and the number is climbing constantly: As LaRussa searched for more information while on the phone with Newsweek, she noticed that popular cook and television host Rachael Ray posted that she will match up to $15,000 in donations.
Ten Lives Club “definitely” wants to honor Bass in the near future.
“We’re hoping that we can do something with the funds raised in his name very soon,” LaRussa said.
She added that the city of Buffalo doesn’t stand with the people who harassed Bass.
“I’ll just say that the city of good neighbors does not represent those people,” LaRussa said. “We are called the city of good neighbors. Buffalo, New York is one of the most giving cities I’ve ever seen in my life. Definitely shows that there’s a few bad eggs out there, but it doesn’t represent our city.”