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Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer team up one last time together in Buffalo

Theo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Neither player is on the Bills roster anymore. But Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer took the field together, proudly wearing Buffalove on their sleeves.

Poyer, in his first local appearance since being released by the Bills in March, received a standing ovation from nearly 15,000 fans Sunday at Sahlen Field in downtown Buffalo, where he participated in the team’s charity softball game. Hyde.

“It was really surreal,” said Poyer, who will report Monday for his first voluntary minicamp with the Miami Dolphins. “I didn’t know what to expect coming here today, but Bills Mafia showed up like always. It was really cool to see the fan support here. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later, so it was just fun to come out here and support Micah.

Poyer delivered a grateful farewell speech to Bills fans when he was introduced by Hyde as “my guy coming from the 305 to compete” before taking his swing in the home run derby.

“Thank you so much for allowing me to grow as a person, a player and a teammate,” Poyer said. “I loved every minute of it. Sorry we couldn’t make it. But you have the best quarterback in the league. I get to see you twice a year. I can’t wait. Come to Miami, guys .I will return to Orchard Park once again.

Hyde said that after spending the last seven years playing alongside Poyer in Buffalo’s defensive backfield, having him in the same dugout Sunday was meaningful.

“You know, he told me a few days ago that he was going to be able to do it, and I was like yes!” Hyde said. “You know, I always tried to stick to the current players, you know, the current guys on the team. I’m not even on the team right now, so we made an exception for Po to come down as well and swing the bat a bit. It means the man of the world. It’s obviously not just on the football field, it wasn’t just 23 there – 21 played a huge role in my performance. For him to be here and be engaged in the off-field stuff, the basic stuff, like I am with his, means the world, man. He’s my brother for life.

Taking over Buffalo’s ballpark for the fourth time in five years, with a pregame party and stands filled with Zubaz gear and football jerseys, Sunday’s game raised more than $625,000 for the Imagine For Youth Foundation in Hyde. More than 30 Bills players participated in the game. Josh Allen won his third home run derby crown and the offense came back in the final inning to secure its first victory in the series.

“It means everything to the guys that show up, obviously it’s all voluntary,” Hyde said. “Taking time out of their day, the whole community shows up, donates money, and that way we can give it to kids in need or other organizations in the community here.”

“This game means everything to us. I don’t want to be biased, but it’s our favorite event at the foundation simply because we get to be in front of the crowd. The players love it. The coaches love it. It’s just a fun event.

Hyde reiterated that he is still uncertain about his football future.

“I just want to be healthy,” Hyde said. “I enjoy my time with the family. And if there is a case where I can get back on the football field, I would love to do it. Especially in this uniform, in front of these supporters. It would mean the world to me and my family to be able to do this. But you know, it’s far away. I have woken up several times in recent weeks with neck pain.

At the end of the event, Allen grabbed the microphone and led the crowd in chanting “one more year!” »

Hyde cheekily promised that “we’ll have this softball game one more year.”

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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB team in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press , The Buffalo News and Niagara Gazette. Learn more about his work here.

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