It was a shocker on Friday afternoon to learn that NBC’s Tim Russert died today at age 58.  When we heard about it, we immediately wanted to post something on the site, even though it is unrelated to the world of football.

Thanks to a statement released by the Buffalo Bills, we now can say a few words about Mr. Russert.

“The Buffalo Bills organization is devastated in hearing the news of the passing of Tim Russert,” the statement reads.  “Tim, as everyone knows, was a tremendous Bills fan.  He was always so proud to let people know just how much he loved our team and was such a great ambassador for Buffalo.  So many times he ended his ‘Meet The Press’ show with his patented ‘Go Bills!’ that it became part of our Game Day morning rituals.  He was a true friend and we will miss him immensely.  Our sincere sympathies go out to his family and our team carries a heavy heart tonight as we mourn the loss of this great man, Buffalo’s native son and a Bills fan forever.”

There was something about Russert that was different.  He didn’t seem like a journalist.  He came off more like a regular guy who coincidentally happened to be very good at gathering and reporting on the news.  By all appearances, he was decent and he was fair and it’s obvious from watching the live feed of MSNBC that he was beloved by his colleagues and competitors. 

Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and coworkers.