FOR.
THERE
THERE WERE SIGNS THAT IT WAS COMING. STILL, THERE IS GREAT
SADNESS TODAY AS WE
REPORT THAT
EZRA CASTRO BETTER
KNOWN AS BUFFALO
BILLS SUPER FAN
PANCHO BILLA HAS
DIED.
HE HAD BEEN BATTLING
CANCER, RECENTLY
GOING INTO HOSPICE
CARE.
HE WAS JUST 39 YEARS
OLD.
IN THOSE YEARS, HE
LEFT QUITE AN
IMPRESSION.
IMPRESSION. EZRA: "WHEN MY TIME
COMES, AT LEAST I CAN SAY I CHANGED A LOT
OF PEOPLE'S LIVES IN A
GOOD WAY."
PANCHO BILLA WAS THE
SUPERFAN IN THE MASK
.
EZRA CASTRO WAS THE
MAN WHO GAVE HIM
LIFE AND, IN THE
PROCESS,
CREATED A HERO
HE
HE BECAME
HE BECAME A FACE OF MORE THAN JUST FANDOM BUT OF
STAYING POSITIVE IN
THE FACE OF
ADVERSITY.
AND THE TEAM HE
LOVED INVITED HIM TO
SHARE HIS MESSAGE.
THIS MAN SHOWED
STRENGTH THAT
BECAME AN
INSPIRATION TO
PLAYERS, FANS,
PEOPLE WHO KNEW
HIM AND PEOPLE HE
NEVER MET.
I'M NOT AFRAID TO DIE,
HE SAID. I'M MORE
AFRAID NOT TO LIVE.
IT WAS A LESSON HE
LEARNED LITTLE BY
LITTLE, DAY BY DAY.
AS A MORTICIAN, HE
FACED THE INEVITABLE
EVERYDAY IN WAYS
MOST OF US CANNOT
IMAGINE .
WITH THOSE DAILY
REMINDERS OF
TOMORROWS NOT
TOMORROWS NOT
PROMISED,
PROMISED, HE KNEW TO LIVE EACH DAY TO THE FULLEST.
VIVA LOS BILLS.
IT WAS A MESSAGE HE
WORE AND SHARED
PROUDLY.
VIVA
PROUDLY. VIVA IS THE SIMPLE LEGACY
HE LEAVES BEHIND.
EZRA: "DON'T PUT YOUR
GOALS ASIDE. DO THEM.
BECAUSE ANY OF US
CAN GO AT ANY TIME.
WE NEVER KNOW
WHEN OUR TIME IS UP."
WHETHER
WHETHER YOU FOLLOW FOOTBALL OR NOT, PANCHO BILLA BECAME
SOMEONE MANY
PEOPLE
KNEW OF AND GREW TO
RESPECT.
BUT IT ALL STARTED
WITH THE GAME.
WITH THE BUFFALO
BILLS.
ADAM BENIGNI HAS
TEAM REACTION FOR
US TONIGHT
US TONIGHT "ADAM: TO THE PLAYERS
AND BILLS STAFF, WHO ARE HERE AS THE OFF-
SEASON WORKOUTS
CONTINUE AND IN THE
TIME WE'VE SPENT IN
THE BULDING, WE
CERTAINLY GET A SENSE
OF THE GRIEF IN THIS
BUILDING GIVING THE
PASSING OF PANCHO
BILLA AND THE
CONNECTION THAT HE
MADE
MADE THAT
MADE THAT HE MADE WITH SO MANY IN AND
AROUND
AROUND THIS ORGANIZAION. ONE IN PARTICULAR, DEFENSIVE
TACKLE HARRISON
PHILLIPS, WHOSE NAME
PANCHO BILLA CALLED
LAST YEAR IN THE THIRD
ROUND OF THE DRAFT,
YOU MAY REMEMBER.
AND HE SPOKE TODAY
ABOUT PANCHO BILLA'S
MEMORY AND THE BOND
THEY SHARED.
HARRISON PHILLIPS: I
WAS ON THE PHONE
WITH PANCHO AND
VERONICA LAST NIGHT
FOR ABOUT 35 MINUTES
AND HAD KINDA KNOWN
TALKING TO VERONICA
PRIOR WHAT THAT
PHONE CALL MIGHT BE,
YOU KNOW, MAYBE A
FINAL GOODBYE. AND
YOU KNOW TODAY,
THERE WAS JUST THIS
KIND OF POLAR
OPPOSITE FEELINGS TO
WHEN I OBVIOUSLY GOT
THE NEWS. THERE WAS
JUST THE GRIEF, THE
SADNESS, THE PAIN OF
LOSING I HAVE SUCH A
STRONG RELATIONSHIP
WITH, BUT ALSO YOU
KNOW, THERE'S THIS...
THERE'S POSITIVE, THE
JOY, THE HAPPINESS
KNOWING HE'S IN A
BETTER PLACE AND
OBVIOUSLY AS A CHILD
OF GOD AS HE WAS, AND
A FOLLOWER, HE'S IN A
BETTER PLACE RIGHT
NOW.
ADAM: SO OBVIOUSLY A
TREMENDOUSLY
EMOTIONAL DAY HERE
AT BILLS'
HEADQUARTERS. AS
FOR ANY TYPE OF
TRIBUTE MOVING
FORWARD, I KNOW A LOT
OF FANS ARE
WONDERING ABOUT
THAT. I DID TALK WITH
BILLS GM BRANDON
BEANE, WHO SAID
THEY'RE CERTAIN OF
THAT. WOULDN'T
COMMIT TO ANYTHING
SPECIFIC AT THIS POINT,
AS HE HAD JUST TALKED
TO THE FAMILY TODAY,
BUT YOU CERTAINLY GET
THE SENSE THAT THERE
WILL BE A SPECIAL
TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF
PANCHO BILA, WHOSE
IMPACT ON THIS
ORGANIZATION CAN NOT
BE OVERSTATED. FROM
ORCHARD PARK, AB CH 2
SPORTS."
SPORTS."
BUFFALO
BUFFALO CERTAINLY WELCOMED PANCHO BILLA AND MADE HIM
FEEL AT HOME.
AND HE WAS THE TYPE
TO RETURN THE FAVOR.
AS JOSHUA ROBINSON
FOUND OUT THE FIRST
TIME HE MET THE MAN
BEHIND THE MASK
"THE FIRST TIME I EVER
CALLED EZRA CASTRO-- HE ANSWERED THE
PHONE LIKE WE WERE
BROTHERS.
AND BEFORE I COULD
EVEN ASK TO DO A
STORY ON HIM... HE
INVITED ME TO COME TO
HIS HOME.
HE INVITED ME TO JOIN
HIM FOR A ROUND OF
CHEMOTHERAPY.
HE INVITED ME TO JOIN
HIM AT HIS BILLS
BACKERS BAR-- THE
HIDEAWAY IN DALLAS.
SO-- I WENT TO DALLAS.
AND AS WE DROVE TO
THE HIDEAWAY-- WE
TALKED ABOUT THAT
NIGHT THE BILLS ENDED
THEIR DROUGHT.
HE TOLD ME HOW MUCH
THE BILLS MAFIA HAD
SUPPORTED HIM-- A MAN
WITH NO TIES TO
BUFFALO OTHER THAN
HIS INTENSE PASSION
AND LOYALTY TO THE
TEAM.
HE TOLD ME HOW
BUFFALO HAD
WELCOMED HIM IN AND
MADE IT HIS SECOND
HOME.
JUST LIKE HE WAS
DOING FOR ME.
AND THAT'S HOW HE
TREATED EVERYONE--
WITHOUT FAIL.
OUR MEET THE MAFIA
SERIES WOULD HAVE
NEVER HAPPENED
WITHOUT PANCHO BILLA.
THE LAST TIME I SAW
PANCHO HE WAS
STANDING ON TOP OF
THE RED PINTO
TAILGATE BUS... AND HE
SHOUTED TO EVERYONE
HIS PROMISE THAT HE
WOULD BE HERE WITH
EVERYONE ON OPENING
DAY "THIS" YEAR.
NOW-- IT'S UP TO THE
BILLS MAFIA TO MAKE
SURE HE LIVES ON IN
ALL OF OUR MEMORIES
SO HE CAN FULFILL HIS
PROMISE THIS YEAR--
AND "EVERY" YEAR.
JUST LIKE HE WOULD DO
FOR ALL OF US.
JOSHUA ROBINSON--
CHANNEL 2 NEWS.
"
"
NO
NO FUNERAL PLANS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED, BUT
CASTRO HAD SAID
PUBLICLY THAT HE
WANTED THERE TO BE
SOME TYPE OF SERVICE
HERE IN BUFFALO.
WHEN
WHEN PLANS ARE ANNOUNCED, WE WILL BE SURE TO SHARE
THEM WITH YOU.
AND REACTION AND
CONDOLENCES HAVE BEEN COMING IN
THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
MANY PEOPLE TAKING A
MOMENT TO REMEMBER
PANCHO BILLA AND HIS
WONDERFUL SPIRIT.
KIM PEGULA CALLING
HIM A PILLAR OF
POSITIVE STRENGTH
AND ENERGY.
JOSH ALLEN WRITES,
HEAVY HEARTS IN
BUFFALO TODAY AS WE
PRAY FOR PANCHO AND
HIS FAMILY. WE WILL
NEVER LOSE YOUR
SPIRIT, AND THE
INSPIRATION YOU
SHARED WITH US.
AND FRED JACKSON,
REST IN PEACE MY
FRIEND. VIVA LOS BILLS.
MORE REACTION AND
COVERAGE OF THE LIFE
OF PANCHO BILLA ALL
EVENING HERE ON
CHANNEL 2.
CHANNEL 2.
HIGH
HIGH PRESSURE WILL
BRING
BRING A
BRING A BRIEF PERIOD OF