New interview! Jim Kelly never met or contacted Pancho Billa

[LSHMEAB]

Really difficult to honestly comment without appearing insensitive, but I agree with those that think much of this was completely over the top. It was a compelling human interest story and terrible for the Castro family to have to deal with such a loss, but there are tons of people out there also suffering. Would have been nice had Kelly reached out, but he was under no obligation to do so.

Edited September 18, 2019 by LSHMEAB

[Gavin in Va Beach]

4 minutes ago, Paulus said:

It was over the top due to cancer awareness, which is reasonable. 

 

I think we can all agree ***** cancer. 

 

Fighting it myself. Totally agree 

[Nextmanup]

19 minutes ago, BrycePaup4ever said:

Fair point, but Jim had to know he was the face of the fan base. Jim is obligated to do what he wants.

Jim also has the cash to make that visit on behalf of others. 

Whoever said he was the face of the fanbase?  

 

The NFL?  The corporate sponsors of the NFL who always love a good sob story and are constantly looking to benefit off the misery of victims of one thing or another?

 

I never even heard of him until pretty recently and his sad story about fighting cancer.  

 

 

 

[dlonce]

10 minutes ago, BrycePaup4ever said:

Who cares if he is overhyped! He was the type of fan we all wish we had the ballz to be.

 

I don’t get the correlation. 

What type of fan was he? I have no wishes or desires to be that type of fan. I’m sure most don’t.

Dressing up in garb, professing love for a team isn’t out of the ordinary. He had cancer, and not unlike many here, he picked the Bills as his team.

God rest his soul.

 

The Bills used him as publicity.

They may have had a soft spot for him but he certainly didn’t represent the average Bills fan.

It was a nice story with a sad ending.

 

The accolades are way over the top. There are many fans deserving who supported this team through thick and thin, mostly thin.

They were fans who didn't choose their team because of their colors.

If it sounds insensitive I’m sorry.

[Buffalo716]

15 minutes ago, BrycePaup4ever said:

Who cares if he is overhyped! He was the type of fan we all wish we had the ballz to be.

He was a great man and RIP but why say that?

 

There are hundreds of thousands if not millions of fans who are as die hard as Ezra all over the world

 

His sickness brought him to national light.... But Jim Kelly has been fighting his own life or death battle

 

[Dablitzkrieg]

Why does this matter?  For Christ's sake, Jim is fighting his own Cancer.  

[MJS]

Jim Kelly never contacted me either. What a jerk!

[Nextmanup]

Just now, dlonce said:

 

I don’t get the correlation. 

What type of fan was he? I have no wishes or desires to be that type of fan. I’m sure most don’t.

Dressing up in garb, professing love for a team isn’t out of the ordinary. He had cancer, and not unlike many here, he picked the Bills as his team.

God rest his soul.

 

The Bills used him as publicity.

They may have had a soft spot for him but he certainly didn’t represent the average Bills fan.

It was a nice story with a sad ending.

 

The accolades are way over the top. There are many fans deserving who supported this team through thick and thin, mostly thin.

They were fans who didn't choose their team because of their colors.

If it sounds insensitive I’m sorry.

I don't know if it was the Bills as much as a league directive.  He was definitely used in all this, however.

 

The NFL did some of this just 2 nights ago before the MNF game.  They had an extended piece about the wife/S.O. of one of the players and how I think she was battling a disease or recently died or something like that.  I have no idea why it was broadcast, it was not relevant to the game, and if I had been the player/spouse, I would have bene pissed off it was aired.

 

 

[Buffalo716]

12 minutes ago, BrycePaup4ever said:

Alright well you guys go rep. the Bills in other stadiums like he did before you criticize Sunday.

 

bills fans travel to away stadiums in packs all the time

[Dablitzkrieg]

Well, I have to admit I'm partial.  Jim sent me autographed game photos and cards when I was younger.  Never will stop being my favorite.  So stop talking ***** people?

[BuffaloHokie13]

4 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I don't know if it was the Bills as much as a league directive.  He was definitely used in all this, however.

 

The NFL did some of this just 2 nights ago before the MNF game.  They had an extended piece about the wife/S.O. of one of the players and how I think she was battling a disease or recently died or something like that.  I have no idea why it was broadcast, it was not relevant to the game, and if I had been the player/spouse, I would have bene pissed off it was aired.

It was probably the Browns DE whose wife was hit and killed on the side of the highway. I think she just had a kid during camp too. Definitely a sad story. 

[Nextmanup]

Just now, BuffaloHokie13 said:

It was probably the Browns DE whose wife was hit and killed on the side of the highway. I think she just had a kid during camp too. Definitely a sad story. 

Of course!  Not relevant to the football game, however, and presented as tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

American sports media loves this stuff.  NBC's olympics broadcasts are filled with this sort of thing.

If only they would show the events!

 

 

[StHustle]

I had the privilege to know Ezra. I met him at a Bills Bar when I first moved to Dallas in 2011. His story was different as he had ZERO ties to WNY. How many fans so die hard can you say that about? He was a leader and very charismatic individual. Small in stature but huge in heart. He was a finalist in ESPN fan HOF and many similar contests. 

 

Then he caught cancer.

 

He STILL came to Bills games sick against the advice of his doctors. He  let it be known that if he didnt win the fight that instead of flowers send in school supplies and help disadvantaged children.

 

His story got plenty national attention and he got in close with the team. Why does Jim go visit him? Cause he was a huge, well know, face of Bills Mafia, fan WHO WAS TRYING TO BEAT CANCER. Jim , the face of the franchise for years and to an extent even still today, BEAT CANCER HIMSELF. So you take a half day out your life to meet the man and inspire him to keep up the good fight. 

 

All you on here acting like Ezra was a run of mil diehard fan are clueless and your responses reek of jealousy (or at the very least ignorance). It would have made A TON of sense for Jim to make that visit, and Im sure the organization encouraged it so Im surprised Jim didn't do it.

[billsfan_34]

Jim has been very sick- lets cut him some slack. He does a lot of good these days- I think its ok

[BigPappy]

Not sure what you are confused about. Pancho was a Bills fan, not a Jim Kelly fan. While I am sure he was a fan of Jim; Pancho's love was for the Bills as a team and as an organization. The organization went above and beyond for him; which was awesome. That said Jim Kelly is not the face of the Buffalo Bills (as much as many want to believe that he is) and he owed nothing to Pancho. He has his own life with his own issue that he was and is battling; all while running a Foundation, making appearances, and still made time to sit with JA and our coaching staff to give his insights on using the no-huddle. Leave the man be and stop riding his a$$ because YOU don't think he did or made enough of an effort.

[eball]

46 minutes ago, Seven-N-Nine said:

This guy is hyped way too much IMO.  Sad that he passed, but all the Pancho stuff has been a bit over the top I think.

 

35 minutes ago, BrycePaup4ever said:

Who cares if he is overhyped! He was the type of fan we all wish we had the ballz to be.

 

I think these are both reasonable ways to view the situation, although I don't know if it took "ballz" to be Pancho the fan; he was just a little crazy.  The media love to glom on to these "crazed fan" stories (like Fireman Ed) and then Pancho's cancer made it a more personal story.

 

It's no skin off my teeth for the Bills to recognize Pancho, and I don't think there's anything "big" to be made of the fact Jim Kelly didn't meet him.

[Gugny]

5 minutes ago, StHustle said:

I had the privilege to know Ezra. I met him at a Bills Bar when I first moved to Dallas in 2011. His story was different as he had ZERO ties to WNY. How many fans so die hard can you say that about? He was a leader and very charismatic individual. Small in stature but huge in heart. He was a finalist in ESPN fan HOF and many similar contests. 

 

Then he caught cancer.

 

He STILL came to Bills games sick against the advice of his doctors. He  let it be known that if he didnt win the fight that instead of flowers send in school supplies and help disadvantaged children.

 

His story got plenty national attention and he got in close with the team. Why does Jim go visit him? Cause he was a huge, well know, face of Bills Mafia, fan WHO WAS TRYING TO BEAT CANCER. Jim , the face of the franchise for years and to an extent even still today, BEAT CANCER HIMSELF. So you take a half day out your life to meet the man and inspire him to keep up the good fight. 

 

All you on here acting like Ezra was a run of mil diehard fan are clueless and your responses reek of jealousy (or at the very least ignorance). It would have made A TON of sense for Jim to make that visit, and Im sure the organization encouraged it so Im surprised Jim didn't do it.

 

I'm sure Ezra was a nice man.  It is, indeed, very sad when a man that young passes and leaves a family behind.

 

But he was not the face of anything.  He was a Bills fan who wore a costume and went to a lot of games.  He didn't represent Bills fans/the Bills Mafia.

 

What Jim Kelly does is Jim Kelly's business.  And the decision to not visit Ezra was Jim Kelly's decision.

 

It's really that simple.

[BuffaninSarasota]

28 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

This is stupid. Anyone who is upset about this is stupid. Wednesday's are stupid. Any day that isn't Sunday is stupid. Screw Antonio Brown. Screw Tom Brady. Screw the Patriots. 

 

 

 

 

who is stupid?

 

[Solomon Grundy]

26 minutes ago, Gavin in Va Beach said:

 

Fighting it myself. Totally agree 

Good luck my friend!!

[BurpleBull]

I honestly wasn't familiar with Pancho Billa before catching wind of his battle; I always considered the Chef and Elvis as being the equivalent of Fireman Ed.