The bet was made on July 3, 2019.
It was the day before the Fourth of July, and Joe DiBiase and I were both on the air hosting, while trying to raise money for the upcoming 11 Day Power Play a week later at Harborcenter.
The minimum goal for both of us was to raise $500 each towards our team goal of raising $20,000 for cancer research. That's when our boss Allan Davis, one of the original 40 skaters in the 2017 11 Day Power Play, challenged us to step it up a notch - get to $1,100 worth of donations each by the time our show ended at 12 p.m.
That's when Joe and I decided to take the initiative and make friendly wagers to our listeners and donators.
Joe's bet came a little easier to his mind than mine did. If he raised $1,100 before 12 p.m. that day, he would run in a 5k race while dressed only in a royal blue Speedo and a tiny Troy Aikman jersey.
After some time, I finally had my bet.
If I raised $1,100 before 12 p.m. that day, I would go dressed in all Boston gear to the Buffalo Bills-New England Patriots game on September 29.
At the time, I thought it was a bet that if I reached the mark, I would be fine living up to it, no matter how embarrassing it may be wearing a Tom Brady jersey to New Era Field surrounded by Bills fans. I didn't really think about the potential repercussions of my actions at the time.
I ended up fundraising the money to surpass the $1,100 mark by 10:35 a.m. that morning. The show had started at 10 a.m.
That's when the thought ran through my head: "What was I thinking?"
I was about to head to Orchard Park in late September dressed in the opponent's gear, as a Bills fan, wearing a Brady jersey, a Boston Bruins hat, a pair of Boston Red Sox socks, and a pair of Boston Celtics pants.
Did I go crazy with my bet? Did I cross the line too far? How would others react, even though I could care less about any of the Boston sports teams?
The first thing I did later that day was text my sister-in-law, Chelsea, and ask her if she wanted to go to the game with me. We went to the snow game against the Indianapolis Colts back in December of 2017, and she is my go-to person to ask about going to a Bills game. I then told her the bet that I made, and she still agreed to join me, despite knowing the embarrassment that may follow us (mostly me) at the game.
That's when the nerves started to get to me a little bit.
A Bills team with a stellar defense, a young second-year quarterback with new and improved weapons around him and high expectations going up against the most-hated rival in the past 20 years of football in Western New York.
A Patriots team coming off their sixth Super Bowl title with a defense that hasn't given up a touchdown dating back to the playoffs the season before, and, of course, there's still Brady under center at the ripe age of 42.
What could go wrong, right?
The week goes on, and by Friday, my boss is advising me to bring some extra clothes just in case some goofball decided to try and either dump some sort of food or beverage on me, or try to pick a fight with me.
I take his advise into consideration, and my head starts spinning with what to do if things go south or what could go wrong.
Sunday finally came, and it was go time.
I put the gear on right away, and immediately felt was of disgust with myself. How could I betray myself by wearing all this, while also cheering for the Bills to beat the Patriots and get to 4-0?
But a bet is a bet. I had to live up to what I said back in July when trying to fundraise money for a great cause.
We arrive at the stadium at around 12:30 p.m. and immediately start to brace myself for the words and lashings I'm going to face from fans around me. We walk to gate to get into the stadium and the wait felt like an eternity. We were surrounded by a number of Bills and Patriots fans, and you could feel the tensions between both fanbases right away - the Bills fans' despise for Patriots fans, and the cockiness of Patriots fans heading into the "friendly" confines of New Era Field.
My sister-in-law was wearing my Jerry Hughes jersey that I had lent to her for the game, and a lot of fans had asked us, "how did a Bills fan end up with a Patriots fan?" without knowing that we weren't actually married. Some other fans, including Patriots fans, were puzzled by my attire and asked why I was wearing all Boston gear to a Bills-Patriots matchup.
My answer stayed relatively consistent throughout the day: "I lost a bet for charity."
I went on to explain what the bet was, why I did it, and what the money I fundraised went towards. Once the people we talked with understood what I did, the reaction was very positive.
On the way to the stadium, Chelsea and I discussed what would be better for my sake: sitting in a section surrounded by Bills fans or Patriots fans?
If we sat in a section full of Bills fans, I'd could be subject to constant berating throughout the game, or, on the flip side, be accepted and welcomed by the people that the city of Buffalo is named for: The City of Good Neighbors."
If we sat in a section predominantly filled with Patriots fans, I'd be an outsider in the group wearing the right gear, but cheering for the home crowd. How would that group take that? I don't know. All I know is that it would be a sickening feeling.
When we got past the gates and in our seats, the group around us gave me some very interesting looks. Not only because I was dressed in a Brady jersey, but particularly because I was in all Boston gear. A lot of these fans were around my age of 27. Young, wild, and having a fun time enjoying some football and hanging with friends.
After taking some heat from those around me, I explained the situation like I had moments earlier at the gates, and they seemed appreciative of my efforts for the cause.
In our row, I sat in the very end seat next to the stairs to head for the tunnel. That put me even more subject to other fans reactions as they passed by. That included some middle fingers, some expletives towards me and the Patriots, as well as some fake high-fives and such.
What made me the most uncomfortable throughout the experience was the Patriots fans I had pass by who were giving me high-fives, fist bumps, and just being the usual way they can be when they see another Patriots fan.
I felt the need to bathe myself in a combination of holy water and bleach once I got myself home later that afternoon.
However, the experience was overall a great one. The people around me did not want to kill me and did not scold me (for the most part), but they were accepting of the cause and went along with it.
The only thing that I had "thrown" at me was a thing of bubbles that were given to the fans as they exited the stadium. It was a Bills fan who moreso lobbed the bubbles in my direction, and it ended up hitting me in the shoulder without me paying attention.
As for the game, the defense kept the Bills alive throughout as Josh Allen made some costly mistakes that gave New England the chance to suffocate the other team, like they have done to several teams in the past. However, Brady and the offense had difficulty advancing the ball against this Buffalo defense, which gives me hope for the season ahead. As long as the offense can turn things around and Allen can make better decisions with the football, the Bills should be a contender to make the playoffs for the second time in three years.
In the end, this would not have been possible without the donations that were given in support of the 11 Day Power Play.
I ended up fundraising more than $1,700 for cancer research, which went to great causes such as Roswell Park, the Make A Wish Foundation, as well as Camp Good Days.
As a whole, the 2019 11 Day Power Play ended up raising more than $1.6 million dollars, which shattered last year's record by $350,000.
Thank you to those who donated, and thank you for your help supporting this great cause.