Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are showing their support for the family of a fan who tragically died while en route to a game against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
The team donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe in honor of Connor Barba, of Norman, Okla., who was killed in a three-car crash while traveling from his home in Kansas City to last week’s Monday Night Football game that pitted the Bucs against the Chiefs. His mother, Megan Barnett, was seriously injured and taken to a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but survived.
News of the accident reached Mayfield, who played at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2017. The quarterback said he was “honored and humbled” to know Barba was such a big fan.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to Megan and her family as they deal with this heartbreaking loss,” Mayfield, 29, said in a statement obtained by ABC affiliate KOCO-TV.
18-year-old dies in crash on way to Kansas City Chiefs game after mom surprises him with tickets
He continued: “I would like to meet him. As a new parent, this really hit home for me. I realize there are no words that can offer any real comfort at this time, but I hope Megan makes a full recovery and draws strength from the outpouring of support she is receiving from across the country.”
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The 18-year-old was driving his mother – who surprised him with tickets to the game for his birthday – when an oncoming car swerved into their lane on a rural highway in southeast Kansas on Saturday, November 2.
The 45-year-old driver of the other car was also killed in the crash that happened on US 169 near Cherryvale shortly before 4 p.m., according to a Kansas Highway Patrol crash report. Colin Barnett, Connor’s uncle, told KOCO-TV that “Connor kind of swerved to the right and hit the brakes as hard as he could.” “When Connor did that, he took the full brunt of it [Camaro]”, he added, saying that he believes these actions probably saved the boy’s mother.
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The boy’s uncle told the news station that the teenager “really wanted to see Baker Mayfield play,” while his mom “wanted to see the Chiefs” and was probably hoping to see Taylor Swift rooting for boyfriend Travis Kelce.
On Friday, Nov. 8, in a post on GoFundMe, which has so far raised over $128,000, organizer Seth Brooks shared an update on Megan’s condition.
“Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Megan’s family during this difficult time, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Brooks wrote. “Your kindness means a lot to us.”
Brooks added that Megan is in intensive care and has had multiple surgeries and “maybe have one or two more while she’s in the hospital.”
“Megan and her family are incredibly grateful for the generosity shown by everyone,” he said. “She still has a long recovery ahead of her, but she is lifted by the support of everyone near and far.”
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