Bills React to Tragedy Near Team Hotel in Providence: “Very Scary Situation”
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The Buffalo Bills left Foxborough on Sunday with a hard-fought 35-31 win over the Patriots, but the game wasn’t the only thing on their minds. Just hours before kickoff, the team found themselves uncomfortably close to a tragedy unfolding in Providence, R.I., where a mass shooting left two people dead and nine others injured.
The incident occurred Saturday night during final exams at Brown University, just two miles from the team’s hotel. According to reports, several Bills players were dining only blocks away when the shooting happened. The team was quickly alerted via internal communications and took immediate steps to ensure everyone’s safety.
Quarterback Josh Allen addressed the situation during his postgame media availability. While the focus was supposed to be on the Bills’ offensive fireworks, Allen’s tone shifted noticeably when asked about the shooting.
“Yeah, very, very scary situation,” Allen said. “Obviously, condolences to the families, and prayers are out to everyone that was involved and affected by it. It's a terrible thing.”
Allen added that several players were out for dinner when the alerts started coming in, and the team’s response was swift and coordinated.
“We were getting updates from our team,” he said. “I thought we did a great job of communicating with everybody and adding some extra security at the hotel. But yeah, very scary situation.”
Head coach Sean McDermott echoed Allen’s sentiments, visibly shaken as he addressed the media. Near the end of his press conference, McDermott paused for a moment before speaking.
“I should have started this press conference off by extending our prayers, thoughts, sympathies,” he said. “It's just a shame.
A very unfortunate situation and a shame, it really is. I prayed for them.
We prayed for them as a team last night, for everyone involved at Brown University.”
McDermott, who’s often praised for his leadership in the locker room, made it clear this was about more than football.
“There’s things in life that are bigger than football,” he said. “And I thought it was important that we did that when we came together as a team last night.
I'm just ashamed. It's just unfortunate and ashamed that that goes on in our world.”
For a team that’s already experienced the emotional weight of a mass shooting back home - the 2022 tragedy at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo still looms large - this latest incident hit close, both literally and figuratively. And while Sunday’s win keeps the Bills in the thick of the playoff race, the events in Providence served as a stark reminder that life’s biggest battles don’t always happen on the field.
The team’s response - from the quick communication to the added security, and the heartfelt words from its leaders - showed a group that understands its platform and its humanity. In moments like these, football takes a backseat. And the Bills, once again, showed they know how to lead off the field just as well as they do on it.