ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — There is a supportive message to Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass from a young fan from Rochester.
Carson Gaspar is known as "The Bills Kid" and 7 News' Pheben Kassahun had the chance to speak with him.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this photo had just enough to turn a negative situation into a positive one.
The Facebook post, which garnered more than 20,000 likes in less than 24 hours from being posted had one message: "Please stop the hate", accompanied by a picture taken last year with Bass and Gaspar.
The full message states:
"Wanna know how I know at only 8 that it is more than just football???? I got to meet Tyler Bass and he is one of the nicest players I have ever had the opportunity to meet! He took the time to talk to me, take pictures, signed multiple items even my very own cleet! PLEASE STOP THE HATE! He is human like all of us! I mess up in school all the time just like you adults mess up at work all the time! Give the guy a break and send some love out into the world instead of hate!"
So, why did young Gaspar feel the need to put such a strong message like this onto the World Wide Web?
"I felt like they shouldn't have been bullying him because even if we made the kick we wouldn't have won. I don't think it was his fault," The Bills Kid shared with Kassahun via Zoom Wednesday evening.
Eight-year-old Carson and his mother, Brooke Gaspar, explained how they could not fathom the amount of stress Bass could have been dealing with after the heavy online criticism.
The young boy felt compelled to have Bass' back when many did not and hoped to once again use his platform to promote positivity, kindness and light within Bills Mafia and change the perspective of some folks.
"Carson's been to a lot of signings and we've met a lot of players but something that really stood out about him that day was that--." Brooke Gaspar said before her 8-year-old chimed in.
Carson added "He was the nicest player that I've ever met."
"He just had the biggest smile and he was so friendly. As soon as he came up to the table, he just took the time to ask him questions," Brooke explained.
This is a story 7 News has followed this week.
Bills fans came together to show their love for Bass, following tough criticism on social media after Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Many wanted to show their support for the kicker by donating to a charity Bass feels passionately for, one of which was the Ten Lives Club.
Those donations have topped $270,000.
It hits closer to home for Carson because he recalled having experienced riding the bench, and having played football when he was six.
"He went to every practice in the rain and he got benched so he knows what it feels like. So, when we were talking about it, I was telling him about how he was getting death threats and things were getting really ugly and he had to delete all of his social media. He was saying how that made him really sad," Brooke said.
So, where does an impactful young boy and "The Bills Kid" crew go from here?
The 8-year-old just hopes to continue to help out charities and spread kindness.
"It's amazing. I wish you guys could see him at the tailgates that we went to this year," Brooke said. "He was able to raise a ton of money for Bills Fan Thunder who brings under-privileged kids to Bills games and then he also and then he also collected Bills shirts and gear for kids at a school that his aunt works at that has under-privileged children as well."
