The Buffalo Bills were caught in an online storm on Thursday night after they chose to play the Canadian national anthem ahead of their Week 2 game against the Detroit Lions. Fans criticized the Terry Pegula-owned team for doing so, since two American teams were playing on US soil, with no direct Canadian connection. But the justification they received from the Bills management was that it was all for business reasons. However, a former NFL player was still baffled by the incident.

Former Los Angeles Chargers nose tackle Breiden Fehoko lashed out at the Bills for the same.

“Why the f— are we singing the Canadian National Anthem on American soil?” Fehoko shot a straightforward question on his show. “When the US team plays the Canadian hockey team, and they play in Canada, they f—— boo us for singing the National Anthem. Okay, so why the f— are we allowing these Canadians to come here?

“Okay, I don’t want to make this as a hate thing, but why are we singing the Canadian National Anthem on American soil when we know we’re not welcomed and not loved when we sing our National Anthem on their soil? There is probably a ton of Canadian fans that make up the Buffalo Bills fanbase. Okay, who gives a s—? If we’re on American soil, we’re gonna sing the American National Anthem, and that is that.”

The Bills fans were excited to see their team play on the newly opened Highmark Stadium, which the organization spent $2.2 billion on to build. But they were left upset when Canadian band Barenaked Ladies took to the field to sing ‘O Canada’ before the game.

“For us, it’s all about the business,” Bills chief operating officer Pete Guelli said, via Tim Graham of The Athletic. “This is part of a broader marketing effort into Southern Ontario and Toronto. It’s been a critical part of our business model, and it’s going to continue to be. This has been in the works prior to anything that’s come up on the [geopolitical] front. Buffalo’s a small market, but when you combine it with the Greater Toronto Area, it’s a top-five NFL market.”

Buffalo’s location across the border from Canada has made the Bills particularly reliant on their Canadian supporters. Southern Ontario fans account for about 18% of deposits for personal seat licenses at the new stadium. Last season, roughly 8,000 Canadians owned Bills season tickets, making them a notable presence in the team’s home crowd. 

But according to Fehoko, respect should come first and business later. However, it is important to note that the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, who share owner Terry Pegula with the Bills, have long played both the American and Canadian national anthems before their home games, regardless of which team they face.

But lately, there has been tension between the two nations since President Donald Trump made references to Canada becoming “the 51st state.” There is also an ongoing trade dispute, with the United States and Canada imposing tariffs and retaliatory measures on each other. Tensions have also spilled into geographic naming, with Trump signing an executive order directing the U.S. government to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.

Montreal fans loudly booed the American national anthem before the United States faced Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. Not just NHL. The unrest poured into the soccer games, too. In August, fans at Vancouver’s B.C. Place broke into loud jeers ahead of the Whitecaps’ Major League Soccer matchup with FC Dallas.

Former New York Jets player Matt McChesney, too, questioned the Bills’ plan to play the Canadian national anthem. 

“Why is the Canadian nation anthem being sung in America w/ no Canadian franchise playing? wtf @BuffaloBills? Because Buffalo is close to Canada 🇨🇦? What bulls—! @Zero2SixtyPod,” he wrote on X. 

Per AOL, Western New York is home to a little over 1.5 million people, while the Toronto and Hamilton metropolitan areas across the border have a combined population of more than 8 million. Thus, the Bills rely on the Canadian fans to bolster their reach. But it remains to be seen if they reverse the decision or stick with it for future games.