Josh Allen Shares Heartwarming Moments With Armed Forces Members, Little Girl at Bills Training Camp

Allen has built a reputation around his kindness to and charitable work for young Bills fans and children in the Buffalo area.

Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to playing the Denver Broncos during the AFC Wild Card Playoffs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Jan. 12, 2025. Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen shared some heartwarming moments with fans during the Bills’ training camp practice on Tuesday.

While signing autographs outside the practice field, Allen took his hat off as a sign of respect to several active-duty armed forces members in the autograph line. Then, as he was about to enter the field, he went back to hug a fan who was crying because she missed an opportunity to get an autograph. Allen has a reputation for being kind to fans, especially young fans.

Rochester, New York, CBS affiliate WROC captured the moment Allen met the service members. At least one of them appeared to be a member of the Air Force; Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station is located about 30 miles from the Bills’ practice facility.

As Allen was walking down the line, he took his hat off and shook hands with all four members. He then signed some memorabilia for them.

Soon after that, Allen was trying to leave the autograph line and enter the practice facility. He waved to fans as he walked away, then abruptly stopped and walked back to the line and hugged a little girl who was crying. He comforted the girl, then went back and signed another 30 autographs, WROC Sports Director Thad Brown wrote in a post on X after capturing the interaction.

Allen had a similar experience with a young fan at practice on Friday. A fan called Allen over and asked him to hug his little sister, then pointed her out to him. Allen walked over to the girl, already crying, and hugged her. The NFL and the Bills posted a clip of the moment to Instagram.

Allen had another touching interaction with a fan at training camp last week. While signing autographs, Allen recognized a fan he had met before. That fan is Nathan Forrestel, a social media content creator with cerebral palsy who plays golf. Forrestel’s videos have earned him more than 44,000 followers on Instagram.

In a clip posted by the Bills’ official X account, Allen hugged Forrestel and signed something for him. Forrestel told Allen he did not think the NFL player would remember him

“I could never forget you, brother,” Allen responded, asking Forrestel about his golf game.

“So-so,” Forrestel replied. “Sometimes good, sometimes [expletive].” Forrestel also congratulated Allen on his marriage to actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld.

Allen has built a reputation around his kindness to and charitable work for young Bills fans and children in the Buffalo area. He has participated in fundraising efforts for John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. After Allen’s grandmother died in 2020, Bills fans donated more than $1 million to the hospital; it later established the Patricia Allen Fund and named the “Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing” after her.

For the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign in 2024, two patients at the hospital helped Allen design custom cleats. When Allen won the NFL Most Valuable Player award for the 2024 season, many of the children who benefited from his philanthropy appeared in a video message congratulating him; the Bills also posted Allen’s emotional reaction to the video on social media.

Also in 2024, Allen became the first player to throw, run for, and catch a touchdown in the same game. After rushing for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Allen handed the ball to 12-year-old Malachi Weems, who had flown from Oregon to attend the game in New York.

A local news reporter asked Allen if he wanted the ball back. During Allen’s media availability on Dec. 4, he said no.

“Probably not,” Allen said. “I gave it away for a reason, so I think that was meant to be. But I’ve got enough game balls and game memorabilia. That stuff, honestly, I put it away; I don’t really ever see it, and it’s not super meaningful to me. So I hope whoever has it enjoys it and they can keep it.”