Tragic Tailgating Tale

In the football euphoria that is the Buffalo Bills best start in 16 Septembers comes the sobering story that will make a lot of fans think: "I've been down that road before."





The road takes friends into Orchard Park for a rip-roaring tailgate party, that continues inside Ralph Wilson Stadium, that pushes on in the parking lot after a Bills win. And then, it hits the road.


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A young man stands accused of DWI in a Niagara County crash that killed a friend and injured two others who had been traveling in his car. All four had enjoyed themselves in an all-too familiar way at the Bills-Raiders game Sunday.


Police are policing gameday drunks better in Orchard Park. More arrests are reported. But even authorities say the problem isn't getting worse. There's just a brighter light on it. It shined first last autumn when Bryant Gumbel and HBO's Real Sports exposed drunken, puking football fans at the Ralph, and elsewhere around the NFL.

The Niagara County crash brings it all home: that while a good party may be part of the Sunday experience for western New York football fans, it doesn't have to be the end-all.