Bills Player Ed Oliver’s 2-Year-Old Son Dies in Drowning Accident

Oliver—also dad to daughter Ava with Gladney—has spent his entire NFL career with the Bills, with the defensive tackle being drafted in 2019. Following news of Oliver III’s passing, the team’s quarterback Josh Allen spoke out about the incident. 

“First off, I want to say thank you to the ones that knew about it and allowed him to have his moment and his time. It’s very sad,” Allen told reporters during an Aug. 22 press conference. “And, you know how it came out—it makes me very, very sad and angry at the same time.”

Though Allen—dad to 4-month-old daughter Harper with wife Hailee Steinfeld—didn’t appreciate how the news about Oliver III’s passing came to light, he emphasized that the Bills family will continue to lift up their teammate in his time of need.  

“Obviously, very unfortunate what happened. And as a teammate of him and as someone in this locker room, all we can do is love on him,” Allen said. “There's nothing that you can say to make the situation any better except being there for him in whatever ways he needs. And that's what we're going to continue to do. And that's what teammates do.”

He added, “We love up on each other and try to hold each other up when we're down.”

Though Allen, 30, shared he “can’t imagine” what his teammate is going though, he’s in awe of how the Oliver—who went to training camp following the tragedy—is showing up for the team despite his grief. 

“I couldn’t imagine the strength that it takes to do that,” Allen said. “And for him to be that strong for himself and his family. I can’t speak enough about it."

He continued, “He’s a strong man.”