Buffalo Bills Were 'Down the Street' From Brown Shooting

The Buffalo Bills' trip to face the New England Patriots turned tense Saturday night when players found themselves in lodging close to the scene of the deadly shooting at Brown University. The team was staying at a downtown Providence hotel less than two miles from where a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon, killing two people and injuring nine, reports the New York Times. Quarterback Josh Allen said some players were eating dinner only a few blocks from the scene when they began receiving alerts about what was happening. "Very, very scary situation," Allen told reporters, per Boston.com, adding that the team quickly ramped up security at the hotel and relied on constant communication from staff.

Offensive lineman Spencer Brown described the shooting as "right down the street" and said players were instructed by text to return to the hotel and remain inside. He noted the team prayed for victims at a chapel and in meetings. The Bills safely traveled the 20 miles to Gillette Stadium for Sunday's game, where a moment of silence was observed for the victims before kickoff. Buffalo erased a 21-point deficit to beat New England 35–31 and stay in the AFC East race, but the final question to head coach Sean McDermott had nothing to do with the comeback. McDermott said he wished he had opened his press conference by addressing the shooting. "There's things in life that are bigger than football," he said, per USA Today. It's "just unfortunate and a shame that that goes on in our world."