BUFFALO (WBEN) - Baltimore 105.7 The Fan radio host Jerry Coleman made a lot of waves in Western New York on Thursday morning when he called Buffalo a "city of losers."
"They (Buffalo) have two major sports teams just like Baltimore except the big difference is besides they have better chicken wings is they're a city of losers. They've won nothing."
I'm currently driving from Baltimore to Buffalo, but here's the other half of @sportswcoleman's diatribe. It's important that we losers from Buffalo understand the nuisances of our inferiority. Have a listen, #BillsMafia, then donate to: https://t.co/yqXXZGjt8p… pic.twitter.com/o5iyr8ZXtI
— Daniel Sanford (@Sanford117) January 2, 2020This tirade stems from a recent tweet from ESPN personality Trey Wingo, who shared his thoughts on the race for the NFL Coach of the Year Award. Surprising many, Wingo strangely left Sean McDermott off his list altogether as coaches who should be considered, and 26 Shirts founder and co-founder of the Bills Mafia social media movement, Del Reid, tweeted a response, saying, "Hey Trey, you know Buffalo, NY, has an NFL team, right?"
Coleman, who had nothing to do with the original tweet, responded to Reid, saying, "And you know they got smoked by the #Ravens...in Buffalo."
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Fast forward to the Thursday morning rant, and Coleman said the following of Reid and Associated Press writer John Wawrow, who had mentioned the Ravens game from 2017 in which Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton threw a last-minute touchdown to receiver Tyler Boyd to end the Ravens' posteseason hopes and propel the Bills into the playoffs.
"Some loser named Del Reid whose handle says he is from the Bills Mafia-- and somehow Twitter verified this clown-- he asked about Sean McDermott-- which is a reasonable question...But I responded on Twitter that the Ravens smoked the Bills in Buffalo...And while the Ravens only won by seven points, the game was in Buffalo. The Bills never had a lead whatsoever. They also have a wide receiver named John "Smoke" Brown. But the Bills Mafia is too stupid to realize when they're down."
During his morning talk show on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore, Coleman doubled down on his comments about Bills Mafia, calling them "thin-skinned".
"I blocked the 'classy' (tweets) like the ones who wrote 'Your mom not remembering who you are is probably the best thing that happened to her'. For those of you not aware, my mom is suffering from Alzheimer's. That's the type of stuff I got from the Bills Mafia."
Coleman said he was "irritated", yet "grateful" at Bills fans for diverting the topic from football to the charity efforts of Reid.
"I made a little joke about the Ravens, never said anything personal about this gentleman, and then a couple days go and you forget about it, and then somebody shared a recording from this morning about him talking about this whole back-and-forth, and he brought up myself and John Wawrow and called us losers and that we're from a city of losers, and it was just a really weird way to start the day," said Reid, who also added that the dig doesn't affect him.
"You have to consider the source," he continued. "This gentleman, he mentioned me specifically, he doesn't know me, and he doesn't know this city. He's probably been here a bunch of times if he's covered the Ravens as a beat reporter, but he doesn't really know us...You kind of get used to hearing that as a Bills fan or as a Buffalonian or Western New Yorker. It's kind of annoying to hear, but at this point now you develop a thick skin, and you're just like, 'Whatever, dude.'"
In traditional Buffalo fashion, Reid and other Bills fans have taken this war of words and directed it into something positive. Coleman's life has been touched by Alzheimer's, so fans decided to start donating to the Alzheimer's Association.
Just spent the last 45 mins listening to all the voice messages I received & saved from my dear mom in 2019 and even pre Alzheimer's. (So glad I still have them ) They're both heartbreaking & inspiring. Hug your loved one's! & #happynewyear2020 everyone. #FamilyFirst
— Jerry Coleman (@sportswcoleman) December 31, 2019Feeling the love today. ❤️I was 100% *not* upset by the words of a stranger who doesn't know me (or us, or our city) but man, y'all are just the best.Instead of insulting the guy, pour your energy into something that will actually make a difference: https://t.co/fyi8W2iQSg
— x-Del Reid (@DelReid) January 2, 2020"I don't want to get too much credit here because the idea to donate to that charity was actually Steve Brown, who is a friend of mine, a real life friend, a Twitter friend, and it was his idea to donate to the Alzheimer's Association," said Reid. "As soon as he did that, I followed suit and encouraged everybody else to join us as well."
As Bills fans donated hundred of thousands of dollars to Andy Dalton's foundation, Reid says it's awesome to be a part of a fanbase that is known for something other than jumping through tables - a fanbase and community dedicated to giving back.
"It's a real reflection of not so much Bills fans, definitely Bills fans, but just Western New York. Buffalo is the City of Good Neighbors," he said. "It's not a cute little saying that we put on t-shirts; we are the City of Good Neighbors and the region of good neighbors when it comes to Western New York, and I think it's just an awesome trait to be known for.
"I'm super proud to be a part of a fanbase that chooses to take the high road when things like this happen - super proud."
