Josh Allen is opening up about how fatherhood has changed him in a deeply personal way. After welcoming his daughter Harper with wife Hailee Steinfeld earlier this year, the Buffalo Bills quarterback says he now understands parents in crisis differently, especially those facing pain, fear and uncertainty with a child in the hospital.Allen shared those emotions during his annual “117 Holes for Charity” event, a grueling single-day golf fundraiser that helps support the Patricia Allen Fund for Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. The event recently helped the fund reach a major milestone: $17 million in donations.
A speech that came from the heart
In a clip shared by his Like a Farmer Podcast, Allen grew emotional while speaking to families and supporters at the golf event. “Having my daughter… I look at you parents differently,” he said, pausing as he spoke. “Because I can picture myself in that situation now where I never could.”That was the part that seemed to hit him hardest. Allen said he could now imagine what it feels like to hold a son or daughter and want to take away every bit of pain they may feel. For someone who had never experienced parenthood before, he said, the feeling had changed his perspective completely.He also told families that they inspire him too, and that the Patricia Allen Fund was created not only to support children, but also to help the parents and families going through incredibly difficult moments.
Why the fund matters so much to him
The Patricia Allen Fund has become one of the most meaningful parts of Allen’s off-field life. Developed with his input, it supports critical care teams at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, and the foundation says 100% of donations go directly to care for children and families in Western New York.The fund traces back to a wave of fan support in 2020, when Bills fans began donating in $17 increments in honour of Allen’s jersey number and his late grandmother, Patricia Allen. Those donations quickly grew into a much larger effort and eventually helped create the fund that now bears her name.For Allen, that connection is personal. It is not just a charity he supports because he plays in Buffalo. It is tied to family, grief, community and a long-running bond between the quarterback and the city.
FILE – Josh Allen, of the Buffalo Bills, and his fiancé, Hailee Steinfeld, pose on the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
The hardest golf marathon around
The “117 Holes for Charity” event is not your average golf outing. It is an all-day marathon in which Allen and others play 6.5 rounds from sunrise to nightfall to raise money for the Patricia Allen Fund. The event has been held annually since 2021 at Crag Burn Golf Club in East Aurora, New York.This year’s outing helped push the fund to the $17 million milestone, which made Allen’s emotional remarks even more powerful. He was not just talking about fatherhood in the abstract. He was speaking in a room full of people whose lives have been shaped by children’s health struggles and the support systems built around them.
Life looks different now
Allen, who was named the NFL’s 2024 MVP and is heading into his ninth season with the Bills, recently told PEOPLE that becoming a dad has changed his day-to-day life too. He said he loves being a father, but admitted that his sleep schedule is definitely not what it used to be.That kind of honesty makes his charity comments feel even more grounded. Fatherhood has not only changed how he thinks about families in need; it has changed the rhythm of his own life, from sleep to preparation to priorities.He also said he is excited for the Bills’ new $2 billion Highmark Stadium and expects fans to love it. The team will begin preseason play there on Aug. 15 against the Carolina Panthers before opening the regular season on the road against the Houston Texans on September 13.
Why fans are connecting with him
Part of why Allen’s words resonated so strongly is that they felt real. He was not giving a polished public-relations speech. He was visibly moved, speaking as a new father and as someone who has spent years supporting families at Golisano Children’s Hospital.That combination of celebrity, sincerity and community loyalty is what has made his charity work stand out. Fans have long donated to the cause in his honour, but now they are also seeing a more personal side of the quarterback, one shaped by Harper’s arrival and by a new understanding of what parents go through.
More than football
Allen is best known for what he does on the field, but this moment was about something bigger than football. It was about empathy, family and the way becoming a parent can transform even the strongest people.The event itself may involve 117 holes of golf, but the core message was much simpler: when a child is sick, families need support, and those who have lived through that pain deserve to be seen. Allen said his own new experience as a father has made him understand that in a way he never could before.
