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 and other reports.

After the Oliver family chose to keep the situation private for months, in August, the Bills acknowledged the loss of Oliver’s son in a statement. However, the nature of how the information became public also became controversial.

In August, 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 also expressing displeasure with those who shared the news online before the family’s announcement.

Here’s what’s known about Oliver’s son’s death and the media controversy surrounding it.

MORE NFL WEEK 1 NEWS:

SN’s latest NFL power rankings
Biggest NFL Week 1 overreactions
Ranking every NFL head coaching debut from best to worst

What happened to Ed Oliver’s son?

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.

At the time the news was shared publicly, a source told the outlet that the family was asking for «privacy and prayers at this very difficult time.»

Ed Oliver’s son drowning death incident

According to ESPN, on June 28, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to an in-progress life-in-danger call. 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 afterward, the sheriff’s office did not name Oliver or the family, which chose to keep the incident private for around two months.

On Aug. 24, police announced that an investigation found no criminal findings and the case was being considered closed, per ESPN.

«The incident was thoroughly investigated by detectives, and their findings were no criminal findings. The case is now closed,» the police statement said, per ESPN.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane released a statement through the team in August 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 devastating 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.»

pic.twitter.com/PNedaOl0lE
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 22, 2026

Ed Oliver reporting controversy

At the time of the Bills’ acknowledgement and the Oliver family sharing their loss publicly, there was controversy over how the information came to light in the media space.

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 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 prior to the Oliver family’s announcement.

Once the Bills and Oliver’s family confirmed the news, those reporters/social media accounts faced criticism from both fellow media members and members of the Bills, including Josh Allen.

Josh Allen comments on Ed Oliver

In August, after the Bills acknowledged the death of Oliver’s son, Allen thanked reporters who heard of the news but chose not to share it. However, he then addressed the fact that he was disappointed with those who leaked 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.'»

Buffalo Bills

What happened to Ed Oliver’s son?

Ed Oliver’s son drowning death incident

Ed Oliver reporting controversy

Josh Allen comments on Ed Oliver

Comments