Buffalo Bills

The two-year-old son of Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver died in June after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool, according to ESPN.

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The Bills acknowledged the loss of Oliver’s son in a statement on Saturday after months of the situation being kept private by Oliver and those close to him.

Quarterback Josh Allen addressed reporters about how the news of Oliver’s son’s death was handled, thanking those who held back on reporting about it, but expressing displeasure those who shared the news publicly before the family’s announcement.

Here’s what Allen said about how the news of Oliver’s son’s death was released.

Josh Allen voices displeasure over how death of Ed Oliver’s son became public

Despite Oliver’s son’s death happening in June, the news was not publicly confirmed until recently. Per ESPN, the Bills had been aware of the incident since it occurred, and Oliver has participated in team activities throughout training camp; Oliver and the Bills were «in alignment on revealing what happened to his son.»

On Saturday, after the Bills confirmed the Oliver family’s loss in a statement, Allen first thanked reporters who heard of the news but chose not to share it before he then addressed that he was disappointed with those who did leak the information on social media. 

«First off, I want to say thank you to the ones that knew about it and allowed [Oliver] to have his moment and his time. It’s very sad in how it came out. It makes me very sad and angry,» Allen told reporters on Saturday, per Tim Graham. «Obviously, very unfortunate what happened and as a teammate of him, as someone in this locker room, all we can do is love on him. There’s nothing that you can say to make the situation any better except being there in whatever ways he needs.

That’s what we’re going to continue to do. That’s what teammates do. You love up on each other when we’re down, and I can’t imagine what he’s going through. But the way that he’s dealt with it has been unbelievable. Very, very unfortunate how it got out.»

Allen also spoke about the team’s support of Oliver during his family’s difficult time.

«There’s nothing that you can say. There’s nothing that you can do. You have to let someone in a situation like that feel what they feel and do what they need to do,» Allen said, per Graham. «As his teammates, that’s what we’ve been doing is giving him his space and time, but at the same time being around him, loving up on him, but not trying to do anything to reopen that. I understand lot of the guys in the locker room knew, especially on the D-line. He spends a lot of time with those guys, and everyone’s just rallying around him. … Just guys being around him and putting their hand on him and not having to say too much except ‘I got your back. Let’s go play football.'»

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We love you, 91. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Im16uwCHIh

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 22, 2026

Who leaked news of Ed Oliver’s son’s death?

Prior to either the Oliver family or the Bills sharing the news, a reporter/podcaster named Tony Farmer on X, with over 24,000 followers, posted on Friday that he had «discovered» that Oliver «was connected to a terrible personal tragedy in June on his property in Texas.»

Other accounts, including one called «NFL Rumors» with over 400,000 followers, also shared the news on Friday prior to the Oliver family’s announcement.

The Bills are saying Ed Oliver is injured and that’s why he’s not been practicing. I just discovered that he was connected to a terrible personal tragedy in June on his property in Texas, I wrote an entire article on X and it was pulled down by within minutes.

It’s unclear why…

— Tony Farmer (@Tonysmarkettips) August 21, 2026

How did Ed Oliver’s son die?

Oliver’s 2-year-old son, also named Ed, died on June 28 after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool by family members at a residence outside Houston, per ESPN. A source told the outlet that the family is asking for «privacy and prayers at this very difficult time.»

According to ESPN, on June 28, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to an in-progress life-in-danger call, and upon arrival, deputies were told «that the parents of a boy had found him unresponsive in the swimming pool at the home.» The child was taken by ambulance to a Houston hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In the weeks since, the sheriff’s office did not name Oliver or the family, who also did not publicly confirm the news until Saturday.

Bills statement on the death of Ed Oliver’s son

General manager Brandon Beane released a statement through the Bills on Saturday about the death of Oliver’s son.

«On behalf of the entire Buffalo Bills organization, we want to publicly express our condolences to Ed Oliver and his family on the devasting loss of his son,» Beane said. «It’s an unthinkable tragedy for any parent. We will continue to support Ed and his family as we all grieve this tragic loss.»

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— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 22, 2026