Bills QB Allen basks in celebrity and football, while trying to maintain some semblance of privacy
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is accustomed to having his public life picked over and documented with his star status in Buffalo and beyond showing no signs of cresting
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Your support makes all the difference.In the five years since arriving in Buffalo, where his celebrity status shows no sign of cresting, Josh Allen has become accustomed to having most every step of his public life picked over and documented.
Itās not as if the Bills quarterback has much to hide by happily embracing his newly minted public stature and seemingly being everywhere at once. There are Allenās many commercial appearances, he's pictured on cereal boxes, the time he was mobbed at the PGA Championship in Rochester, New York in May, and weeks later celebrated landing on the Madden video game cover by attending a bash at a downtown Buffalo bar with hundreds of āJosh!ā-screaming fans.
āWho cares about the prize,ā one middle-aged man yelled into the microphone when invited to answer a quiz question from the quarterback. āIām on stage with Josh Allen, baby!ā
And yet, there remain those few instances when Allen will draw the line on what he prefers revealing, as happened following a recent interview with The Associated Press. He made one simple request, asking to not publish the name of the actress heās been linked to recently.
It makes no difference that her name appears instantly in an internet search for āJosh Allen dating," and pictures of the two having dinner together went viral on social media. And though Allen won't deny being friendly with the 2011 Oscar nominee, he reacts in mock defiance by saying: āI canāt go to dinner?ā
At stake is Allen maintaining one last grip on his private life, however futile that might be for the 27-year-old, who still cherishes growing up in rural Firebaugh, California, and the times he could live in near anonymity.
āIām from a small town. Itās just not how I operate. Itās not how I was born and raised,ā Allen said. āI just kind of want to be in my own world when I can be because every time I step outside, itās putting on the face and the mask and, you know what Iām saying. So Iām just trying to save that for myself. Thereās some instances where it feels nice when I can do that.ā
No one was clamoring for Allen when he was forced to open his college career at Division II Reedley or finally attracted a scholarship offer to play at Wyoming. And Allen was still regarded a raw prospect with accuracy issues upon arriving in Buffalo, before he began rewriting the Bills' passing and scoring records and leading the team to three consecutive AFC East titles.
āThe whole focus on the private life is so weird,ā Allen said. āI play football. Iām a football player. Thatās not what I do. Itās who I am.ā
Smiling, Allen proudly revealed he borrowed that line from the movie āTop Gun,ā which shouldnāt come as a surprise for a self-proclaimed nerd who often cites movie lines, enjoys spending his downtime playing the board game Catan and whose preferred jokes fall firmly in the groan-inducing teenage bathroom humor category.
Allen, however, is not joking about his passion for football in reemphasizing how his job defines him.
āI know itās a weird quote, and some people might say the opposite. But Iām a football player,ā he said.
For all thatās changed for Allen, Bills center Mitch Morse said the core of his quarterbackās focus hasnāt wavered.
āNothing has been more important in Joshās life ā of course, excluding faith or family ā than football,ā Morse said. āWhen push comes to shove out here, heās still the ultimate competitor that is looking to get something out of every day. And thatās refreshing.ā
Since his rookie season in 2018, Allen has made a point to wander the hallways of the Billsā headquarters and peek into most every open doorway and say: āSuper Bowl.ā And his approach to this season is no different by saying: āEvery year we step on the field itās Super Bowl or bust.ā
If anything, the passing of time and each painful playoff loss have elevated the sense of urgency to succeed.
In April, Allen notably acknowledged there is a window of opportunity that will one day close. He wasnāt referring to himself as much as he was to his veteran teammates ā players such as Morse and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, who have been in Buffalo since or before Allen was selected in the first round of the 2018 draft.
Allen says he wants to win for them as much as anyone else.
Hyde smiled upon hearing of Allenās comments.
āI love Josh. I love him ā everything that he brings to the table,ā Hyde said. āJosh is going to play another, who knows, 15 years hopefully. So for him to be saying that, understanding the urgency for the older guys, thatās a wise move on his part, just understanding the game, understanding and being older than he really is.ā
If there is a mask Allen said he puts on in public, it doesn't hide much.
Allen still makes a point to sign as many autographs at training camp as time allows, because he is still burned by that time growing up when one of his baseball idols turned down his request. His charitable work in the community has increased. As for the Madden cover, Allen reveled in the moment knowing what it meant to him, his family and Bills fans.
Ultimately, Allen finds himself awestruck by having begun to realize his boyhood dreams.
āIām exactly the person that I wanted to be as a kid,ā Allen said. āJust trying to do it the right way, treating people the right way, and ultimately winning as many games and as many Super Bowls as I can.ā
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl