It’s never ideal to hear that an NFL player was fined for a questionable infraction, but the story hits a little closer to home regarding Buffalo Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen.

The undrafted rookie, who signed with the team after impressing his bosses at a tryout in May, endeared himself to the Buffalo faithful throughout the preseason with his stellar play and Hollywood-esque story. The Depew, New York native, who grew up just a short drive from Highmark Stadium, played football in high school and (some) college in Western New York, overcoming all odds and obstacles not only to sign a rookie contract with his boyhood club, but also to earn a spot on their 53-man roster as a rookie.

It was an incredible story and therefore fans have quickly taken a liking to the local boy. There are a group of players above him on the depth chart at linebacker, and Andreessen has therefore only been active for four games so far this year; However, he made the most of his few opportunities during his most recent appearance, making an impressive tackle on Seattle Seahawks returner Laviska Shenault on one of his 16 special teams snaps in Week 8.

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It was Andreessen’s most impressive regular-season play yet, a true “welcome to the NFL” moment that suggested to Bills brass that maybe he should be in line for a jersey on game days more often. .

And the league tainted the moment with a $4,421.29 fine for unnecessary roughness, even though no foul was called on the play.

Leaving aside the legality of the game and the quality of the NFL’s ruling, it’s a little disturbing to see Andreessen, an undrafted free agent who has a base salary of $795,000, the team’s minimum, this season, being fined in just the fourth game of his career. It’s a good salary when you look at income holistically, sure, but $4,400 isn’t crazy either. This is a player who still lives at home with his parents: $4,400 could have been a few months’ rent on a new apartment.

Bills fans were, understandably, a little upset by the news of Andreessen’s fine, and one, in particular, offered to pay the fee on behalf of the fan-favorite linebacker. As it happens, said fan started 53 games for the team at quarterback from 2009-2012.

Former Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick took to Twitter after news of Andreessen’s fine became public, asking Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson to send him the rookie’s information so he could pay the fine on his behalf. of the linebacker.

Fitzpatrick, who threw for 11,654 yards and 80 touchdowns during his time in Buffalo, played for nine teams over his 17-year career, but has long said the Bills were his favorites, noting a special connection with the point guard. of fans and the region in general. Fitzpatrick, a native of Arizona and famous for attending Harvard University, was not predisposed to liking Buffalo; got and the fans understood it. Thus was born a relationship of mutual affection that is perhaps as strong today as it was more than a decade ago, to the point that Fitzpatrick remains an outspoken supporter of the Bills. and quarterback Josh Allen.

And that’s what makes his offer to pay Andreessen’s fine even more amusing, if not surprising. Andreessen is not just a Bills player, he is a buffalo, a fan at heart who probably grew up watching Fitzpatrick lead the team; Fitzpatrick, an adopted buffalo, doesn’t want to just sit back and watch one of his brothers lose money. If that’s not an encapsulation of Buffalo, I’m not sure what is.

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