As the saying goes, “Another day, another shot at the Buffalo Bills.” This time coming via Twitter, the suggestion that players demanding trades get shipped to Buffalo as punishment was met with many defending the team and region. At the same time, a social media campaign from the Buffalo Bills has been asking fans to share their fondest memory of the team for a chance to win season tickets. One former player was in perfect position to defend the team and share his fondest memory in one fell swoop.
Former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Marques Sullivan had this to say in a Twitter thread:
“The Buffalo Bills organization really supported me when my grandmother died. They flew me to Chicago to attend the funeral on a Friday. I told them I still wanted to play in that week’s game so they flew me back late Saturday night into Houston to play on Sunday.”
Sullivan was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2001 and remained with the team until 2003. Playing in 32 games with 22 starts, Sullivan was the right guard for the entirety of the 2002 season. Fans should recall this as the year Buffalo had their last 4,000-yard passer when Drew Bledsoe threw for 4,359. This was also Travis Henry’s best year in the league with 1,438 yards and 13 touchdowns to go with his only Pro Bowl season.
The game Sullivan alludes to in his defense of the organization also occurred in the 2002 season under head coach Gregg Williams. The Buffalo Bills played the Houston Texans on October 13th, beating Houston with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Sullivan’s blocking assisted the Bills to 31 points, giving Buffalo its third win of year.
“It was a very emotional week for me and my family,” Sullivan continued. “I’m just lucky my grandmother got to see me play in the NFL before she passed. I love that woman very much and I thank my Buffalo Bills teammates, coaches and staff for helping me through that time of in life.”
Sullivan concluded his thread, doubling and tripling down on his feelings for the organization and town.
“So as you can see I get worked up when trolls talk crap about Buffalo and the Bills. It’s a top notch organization and the people of Buffalo always show me love, till this day!”