The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are stepping up to help a grieving family in need.
The NFL organization is donating $10,000 to the family involved in a car accident on their way to the Buccaneers’ November 4 Monday Night Football Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, ESPN reported.
The accident killed Connor Barba, 18, of Norman, Oklahoma, and seriously injured his mother, Megan Barnett.
According to family members, Barnett surprised her son with tickets to the Game ahead of his birthday so he could see his favorite player, quarterback Baker Mayfield, play in person.
“He was a Football fan in general and a big-time Baker fan,” Barba’s uncle, Collin Barnett, told Good Morning America on Thursday. “He wanted to see Baker play. It was just going to be a great Game.”
According to a spokesperson for the Buccaneers, both Mayfield, 29, and his wife, Emily Wilkinson, plan to reach out to the family in private to offer additional support.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to Megan and her family as they deal with this heartbreaking loss,” Mayfield said in a statement via ESPN. “I am honored and humbled knowing that Connor was such a big fan. I would have loved to have met him. As a new parent, this really hits home for me.”
Mayfield and Wilkinson became parents when they welcomed a baby girl in April. Most recently, the family of three dressed up as Disney characters for Hollywood.
“I realize there are no words that can provide true comfort at a time such as this,” Mayfield continued in his statement, “but I hope that Megan makes a full recovery and that she draws strength from the outpouring of support she is receiving from around the country.”
According to a GoFundMe page, the mother-son duo were involved in a head-on collision on the way to Kansas City.
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“Megan is currently in the ICU in Tulsa and has many injuries that will require extensive recovery,” the page stated. “We are asking for your support to help with medical bills and funeral costs [for Connor].”
Thanks to nearly 800 donations, the GoFundMe has already raised more than $110,000 as of press time.
“It’s an absolutely awful situation that we’re in, but this is an incredible gesture of hope and kindness that’s been very helpful to us,” Collin told GMA. “Megan was a single mom, and Connor really looked after her, protected her and just embraced that responsibility. He absolutely didn’t have to, but he loved it. He loved Megan.”
