Fans console Bills kicker Tyler Bass for playoff miss by funding cat rescue

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Dollars are flying into an upstate New York cat rescue shelter, as football fans continue to console Tyler Bass after he missed a crucial field goal, which led to the Buffalo Bills' exit from the NFL playoffs.

Ten Lives Club, a no-kill cat rescue shelter based in Buffalo, said it received more than $25,000 in donations on Monday and a total of $90,000 by Tuesday afternoon.

Bass missed the kick wide right with less than 2 minutes remaining in the 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y.

The Bills kicker, a brand ambassador for Ten Lives Club, dropped his chin into his jersey collar and ducked his head in dejection while walking off the field after the loss.

He also deactivated his accounts on X and Instagram immediately after the game, as many Bills fans posted demeaning messages, including one who published footage of himself burning a Bass replica jersey.

Ten Lives Club issued a statement of support for the Bills kicker Monday night.

"We stand with Tyler Bass," Ten Lives Club wrote on Instagram and Facebook." Don't bully our friend. We just heard the terrible news that Tyler Bass is receiving threats after [Sunday's] game and our phones are ringing off the hook from people who want to donate $22 to Ten Lives Club in Tyler's name.

"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."

Hundreds of donations continued to flow into the nonprofit's Venmo account Monday and Tuesday, including some from Chiefs fans. Many donated $22, a reference to Bass' jersey number (2).

Bass told reporters Sunday night that his teammates have shown him "nothing but love." Bills quarterback Josh Allen also supported Bass with an embrace after the game.

"I hit a good ball, but it didn't work out," Bass told reporters. "I feel terrible. I love this team. This one hurts bad. I gotta do a better job."

Bass, 26, joined the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He made 82.8% of his field goals during the regular season, but went 2 for 5 (40%) in the postseason. The Bills signed Bass to a four-year, $20.4 million contract extension in April.

"I wish he wouldn't have been put in that situation," Allen said Sunday, when asked about Bass. "You win as a team, you lose as a team. One play doesn't define a game. It doesn't define a season.

"People are going to be out there saying that. We have to be there for him. If we executed a couple plays prior [to the kick], we are probably singing a different tune now."