The Buffalo Bills were able to win their second preseason game of the year, beating the Cleveland Browns 31-7. This was an excellent win, but before the game, news was released that definitely overshadowed anything that was going to happen today.
The team revealed that defensive lineman Ed Oliver’s two-year-old son passed away tragically recently. Before the team’s statement, news of Oliver’s loss was revealed to the world in a different way, which upset many, including QB Josh Allen.
Josh Allen Speaks on the Ed Oliver News and Expresses His Disdain for How It Originally Came Out
On X, podcaster and San Francisco 49ers fan Tony Farmer shared a story about the loss Oliver suffered, which was not public knowledge at the time. Farmer also claimed that Buffalo media knew about this news, but had been sitting on it and not releasing it. With the news now out, the Bills were then forced to release a statement soon after.
The Bills were always going to make a statement when the news was revealed, but the team and local media understood the importance of respecting Oliver and his loved ones during this very difficult time and not making it public.
Moments like this happen once in a while, when a player is going through a difficult time in their life or has suffered a loss, and the team and reporters understand that it can’t be released right away. But this story did not get that grace.
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After the Bills’ preseason game, Allen met with the media and spoke about Oliver’s loss. During this time, he made sure to say how grateful he was to the media that did not release the story, and how he’s hurt by the way the news was released (via Bills writer Tim Graham):
“First off, I want to say thank you to the ones that knew about it and allowed him to have his moment and his time. It’s very sad in how it came out. It makes me very sad and angry”.
Allen also went on to focus more on Oliver and how the team has been trying to help:
“At the same time. Obviously, very unfortunate what happened and as a teammate of him, as someone in this locker room, all we can do is love on him. There’s nothing that you can say to make the situation any better except being there in whatever ways he needs.”
Josh Allen’s opening statement about Ed Oliver to group of Bills reporters in Cleveland:
First off, I want to say thank you to the ones that knew about it and allowed him to have his moment and his time. It’s very sad in how it came out. It makes me very sad and angry … 1/
— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) August 22, 2026
When news like this is released, the focus should always be on the player and supporting him during the tough time. It’s unfortunate that focus has been taken away today, but hopefully, Oliver and his family can get through this extremely tough time.
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Farmer, on the other hand, has been called out by many people in the NFL world on social media for his reporting on Oliver’s situation.
However, he continued to take digs at the Bills’ reporters for not revealing the story earlier. In a recent post on X, he wrote, “If Bills media knew about the Ed Oliver story in advance, then they should know whether the investigation is still ongoing or not, right? If the police investigation is over, then report that fact and stop the online speculation.”
Farmer gained popularity on social media through his relentless reporting on the Dianna Russini scandal involving New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Many people appreciated his efforts to uncover the truth about Russini, but in Oliver’s case, the general sentiment has been against Farmer’s decision to report the story, which was intentionally kept under wraps to protect the Bills defensive tackle’s family’s privacy.
