Have you ever heard of George Gillett? Well, he’s the former owner of the Montreal Canadiens*. He is a former minority owner of the Miami Dolphins and used to be co-owner of the Liverpool Football Club. And, according to multiple sources, he was tailgating at Ralph Wilson Stadium yesterday with the family and friends of Jim Kelly before and after the Bills-Eagles game. (Buffalorising.com)
Mind of Joe: Do I really need to post a blurb every time someone is kind of remotely/seen with a football/has money/eats Buffalo wings/ is lukewarm interested in buying the Bills? From the Gordon Gekko guy to the guy named after a razor to Chad Kelly’s poorly written tweets, all of these stories are so vague, it just kills me. It’s so secretive, and fans/media members are breaking their backs in order to connect the dots. If it wasn’t for Tim Graham saying that this guy was interested in buying the Bills four years ago, I probably would have rolled my eyes at this story. Instead, I’ll just shrug my shoulders.
Maybe two years ago I would jump for joy at the thought of someone possibly looking at buying the Bills, but at this point, I fully expect that a number of suitors will try and keep the Bills in Buffalo. I’m sure there will be some that we have never heard of, just like when Pegula (who?!) was rumored to buy the Sabres.
Now, I will throw some cold water on the people celebrating this guy or any other billionaire who may be interested in buying the Bills. The 850 lb. gorilla in the room is the NFL.
Yesterday, Michael Silver was writing about the Raiders possibly moving to LA. Now, why did this story come about? Well, because Al Davis passed away. Now rumors and NFL sources are popping up about the future of the Silver and Black. Is this what we are going to look for when Ralph Wilson passes away one day? Are the LA/Toronto people going to crash Ralph’s funeral and handout business cards to NFL owners and sponsors? The one part of the article that I found to be the most interesting is what Silver said about the Bills future in Buffalo.
“The Bills will likely be sold upon the passing of 92-year-old owner Ralph Wilson, but numerous owners prefer that a buyer would choose to relocate the franchise to nearby Toronto, the fourth-largest market in North America. A move to L.A. is viewed as a secondary option.”
Now, I’ve alluded many times in this space to the fact that I feel the NFL isn’t really high on our market. We are just not a 21st century type of city for the NFL. They want PSL’s, luxury boxes, rack of lamb being served instead of hotdogs, and frankly, our market isn’t that. I know there’s been some good news because Ralph Wilson and Roger Goodell have casually mentioned that the stadium is fine and all it needs are some improvements.
However, I just don’t trust the NFL and their greed. The biggest thing the NFL cares about is making as much money as humanly possible. There’s a reason why the Toronto people wanted one game a year, and it has nothing to do with their love for the Bills. It was all about showing the NFL that they can support an NFL team. Now, I know some will say that the experiment has failed and that the citizens of Toronto don’t care about the NFL. I think that’s a bit short-sighted.
I don’t think they care about the Buffalo Bills, but they would totally care about the Toronto Buffaloes. Anyway, I don’t think you need an accountant to figure out that a team in Toronto would make more money than a team in Bufalo. They just have more businesses to buy those PSL seats or luxury boxes. I guess what I’m saying is that there are reasons on both sides of the equation to suggest the Bills will stay or move.
Could there be a sharing the team concept? Spilt the home games? God, that would be awful and I would seriously have reservations about being a Bills fan if that happens. To me, the NFL preferring the Toronto market over the Buffalo market is bigger news than George Gillett taking in a Bills game. If the NFL doesn’t want a team in Buffalo, I don’t care what the auctioneers say, that is a HUGE red flag. As for the guest of honor, I’m not sure I want a guy who has squandered his fortune while owning a soccer and NHL team.
Oh, and lastly, for the 500th time, Ralph Wilson is not selling the team while he is alive.
Twitter: @Joebuffalowins
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