CINCINNATI — Marvin Tarry was in Cincinnati on Monday night for the Bengals-Bills game.
He was watching at a tailgate outside Paycor Stadium when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin tragically went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during the game.
"There was just a lot of sadness and a lot of concern," Tarry said, adding that the entire atmosphere in the city changed as both sides came together in disbelief.
"I was also really touched by all the fans that came up to us and gave their support and well wishes," Tarry said.
Tarry is originally from Buffalo, but has been living in Cleveland and is just one of the many members of the Cleveland Bills Backers group.
"We just want him (Hamlin) to be okay. It's a cliché phrase, but it's bigger than football. We just want our guy to be okay. That's it. We don't care about the game, we'll forfeit for all we care," Mike Saloman said.
Saloman is co-president of the Cleveland Bills Backers.
The group says "Bills Mafia" is unlike any other fanbase, as they feel like Hamlin is their own family member fighting for his life.
"It's a family. The city looks at the Bills players and the Bills players look at the city and it's not this divide. We look at them almost like they're our brothers," added backer Adam Ujvair.
The tragedy involving Hamlin is one of many the city has experienced over the last year, including the mass shooting at a Tops supermarket in May and the recent deadly blizzard.
"All of the struggles and all of the things that have been going on this year, the city still rallies," Tarry said.
The Cleveland Bills Backers donated $500 to Hamlin's charity, joining others from all over the world that have come together to donate over $4 million to the Chasing M's Foundation Community Toy Drive GoFundMe page.
"It just reminds people what's important, and what's important is not skin tone or economic status or whether you play a game or not. What's important is we're all human, we're all doing the best we can, we're all trying to help each other out and lift each other up so that way we can all succeed," Ujvari said.