National Football League

NFL kicker's touching letter to fans

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:30 a.m. ET

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By Andy Nesbitt, FOXSports.com The new thing for athletes to do when they leave a team that they've been with for a long is to take out an ad in a newspaper or write a message online thanking fans for all the years of support. Add former Buffalo Bills kicker Rian Lindell to the list of pros who have taken this route, as he penned a nice note to Bills fans two days after being released by the team. He has since signed a 1-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lindell, who spent the last 10 years with the Bills, never missed a FG in the playoffs during his time in Buffalo, although it helped that the Bills haven't reached the postseason since 1999. Here's what he had to say:

Bills Nation, Thank you, Bills fans, for all the support I've received over the years and over the last few days. I always tried to remember the people I represented every time I put the Bills uniform on. Over the years, I've truly enjoyed hearing the many stories Bills fans had to share from Sundays at the Ralph. I’ll never forget the feeling of driving into the parking lot on game day and seeing the excitement of fans young or old, warm or cold, going through their pregame routines in anticipation of a Bills victory. What I came to understand over the years, was the genuine passion Western New York and Bills nation has for their Bills, and I can't tell you how appreciative I am to have been a part of it for a decade. I also want to thank Mr. Wilson and each and every person in the organization for 10 great years together. You made my family and I feel like we were truly a part of your family, and we were proud to “circle the wagons” with you. Thank you Buffalo, and while I begin a new and exciting chapter of my career, I look forward to our paths crossing again down the road. Rian Lindell

The message was well-received by Bills fans.

#ThankYouRian for delivering the kick that finally beat New England. http://t.co/6SeoV9eXPS — James Misercola (@sabresfan9715) August 21, 2013

OK, that's enough about kickers. Let's get back to some real football talk. We're joking, of course. Kickers are football players, too (kind of), and this was a classy move.