Jim Kelly's Guarantee for the Bills to Stay!

[blackonyx89]

Jim Kelly Insists Bills Will Stay
WGR Whiney Award Newsroom - Monday, November 19, 2007 - 10:27 PM
When WGR - Sports Radio 550 throws an event, things just happen. While there were many barbs thrown back and forth between Joe DeLamielleure, Steve Tasker and Thurman Thomas during the 1st Annual WGR Whiney Awards, Jim Kelly brought the crowd to its feet with the following statement:

"As fans of the Buffalo Bills, we talk about community. That's one of the reasons I stayed in Buffalo NY is because of the people. That's why Thurman moved back to the area My wife is from here, Thurman's wife is from here, Patti. We guarantee you, and I not only mean me, but Steve Tasker who lives here also but Thurman Thomas - he moved back here. We will make sure, we can almost guarantee that the Buffalo Bills will never leave Western New York."

And the audio link! Click Jim Kelly's Guarantees the Bills will stay link in the Audio Vault.

http://www.wgr550.com/ondemand.php

If this has been posted,sorry!

[OpIv37]

it's a great gesture but the reality is that if the NFL wants to move the team, there is nothing Kelly, Tasker, or Thurman can do about it.

[Mitchy moo]

GO Jimbo!!

http://newmedia.funnyjunk.com/pictures/identifying-wood-stupid-book.jpg

[YardRat]

He's getting pretty ballsy with his weekly statements about keeping the team here.

[OpIv37]

He's getting pretty ballsy with his weekly statements about keeping the team here.

which means either
a) he knows something we don't about the team's future or
b) he's trying to drum up publicity and support in Buffalo as a pre-emptive strike to any attempt by the NFL to move the team.

I'm guessing it's the latter, although the former isn't out of the realm of possibility since Kelly does have first-hand contact with Ralph.

[JD]

The "almost" part still scares me :nervous:

[blackonyx89]

which means either
a) he knows something we don't about the team's future or
b) he's trying to drum up publicity and support in Buffalo as a pre-emptive strike to any attempt by the NFL to move the team.

I'm guessing it's the latter, although the former isn't out of the realm of possibility since Kelly does have first-hand contact with Ralph.

He does have the early inside track. Who better than Jimbo to run things when Ralph's gone. I pray this works out!!:pray:

[TacklingDummy]

Jim Kelly Insists Bills Will Stay


" We will make sure, we can almost guarantee that the Buffalo Bills will never leave Western New York."

[blackonyx89]

The "almost" part still scares me :nervous:


You gotta have faith,dude!!!

:brush:

[Forward_Lateral]

it's a great gesture but the reality is that if the NFL wants to move the team, there is nothing Kelly, Tasker, or Thurman can do about it.

What? The NFL has nothing to do with moving the team. Whoever buys the team from Ralph will have that say. The only thing the NFL can do is STOP someone from moving the team. I don't understand your comment at all.

[OpIv37]

What? The NFL has nothing to do with moving the team. Whoever buys the team from Ralph will have that say. The only thing the NFL can do is STOP someone from moving the team. I don't understand your comment at all.

the NFL approves the new owner. If the NFL wants to move the team, all they have to do is deny owners who want to keep the team in Buffalo and sell to someone who wants to move the team. It's that simple.

[Forward_Lateral]

the NFL approves the new owner. If the NFL wants to move the team, all they have to do is deny owners who want to keep the team in Buffalo and sell to someone who wants to move the team. It's that simple.

:rofl: And you actually think the NFL would do that?

[BlackMetalNinja]

Sweet, let's start two threads with the same info in it! AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEE!

[OpIv37]

:rofl: And you actually think the NFL would do that?

why wouldn't they? If the league thought they could make more money off a team in Toronto or LA or somewhere else that's not Buffalo, why would they approve an owner who would keep the team in Buffalo?

Now, I'm not saying this is necessarily the case, but it very well could be.

As fans this doesn't make sense to us because we're loyal to the team and the city. But as a business, they want money- they don't share the same loyalty for the team and the city when there's more money elsewhere.

[blackonyx89]

Sweet, let's start two threads with the same info in it! AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEE!

Yes,isn't it? (sarcasm).

:bad:

What are you talking about? The original post was about Jim Kelly and Co. possibly being the owners and I had the written story only. Then I found the audio at a later time and made a different thread.

[Jan Reimers]

I'm glad Jimbo is involved. He may be able to put some local ownership together. (I believe per league rules, ownership groups can contain up to 25 members, one of whom must own at least 30% of the team.)

With his contacts and name recognition, Jimbo may be able to put such a group together, and become a team executive with a small ownership interest.

[Forward_Lateral]

why wouldn't they? If the league thought they could make more money off a team in Toronto or LA or somewhere else that's not Buffalo, why would they approve an owner who would keep the team in Buffalo?

Now, I'm not saying this is necessarily the case, but it very well could be.

As fans this doesn't make sense to us because we're loyal to the team and the city. But as a business, they want money- they don't share the same loyalty for the team and the city when there's more money elsewhere.

Because the prespective owners that they reject could sue the living hell out of them. I don't think the NFL has ever rejected the sale of a franchise, at least not that I can remember.

[Mr. Pink]

Because the prespective owners that they reject could sue the living hell out of them. I don't think the NFL has ever rejected the sale of a franchise, at least not that I can remember.

There were a few groups interested in buying the Browns...the league selected one of them. Which means they rejected the sale of the franchise to a few groups.

[trapezeus]

OP, can you ever take the optimistic route?

I'm pretty sure that kelly has to say "almost" because it's like buying a house. even when you're in contract, there are chances things could go wrong. but you've pretty much bought the house.

If kelly has capital organized for the purchase, then it's just a formality to get it done.

As for the NFL wanting teams in other places. i'm pretty sure there are enough owners who realize that the luxury boxes make it attractive, but having empty stadiums but "sold out games" hurts the marketability of the game.

Once fans start saying, "this is too posh, this is too expensive, this isn't the game i remember." They don't tune in. And i think there is a set of owners in the NFL who realize, the reason the TV deals get done is because the average fan is crazy about the game. once we stop attending games, going to message boards, we'll stop watching the games. and when viewership goes down, so does the ad revenue. And once ad revenue goes down, the next tv contract won't be so exciting.

I realize it's really contrarian to say that the NFL is at a cross roads right now, but i believe they are. If they continue to make games unavailable on Thursday nights, keep moving games to locations that don't care about football, and keep making the everyday fan experience harder and more expensive, they'll lose fans and interest.

No one ever thought in the 90's that basketball would lose it's label as best run league. but here we are 10-15 years later with high school kids playing for guaranteed contracts on teams that no one cares about.

[OpIv37]

OP, can you ever take the optimistic route?

I'm pretty sure that kelly has to say "almost" because it's like buying a house. even when you're in contract, there are chances things could go wrong. but you've pretty much bought the house.

If kelly has capital organized for the purchase, then it's just a formality to get it done.

As for the NFL wanting teams in other places. i'm pretty sure there are enough owners who realize that the luxury boxes make it attractive, but having empty stadiums but "sold out games" hurts the marketability of the game.

Once fans start saying, "this is too posh, this is too expensive, this isn't the game i remember." They don't tune in. And i think there is a set of owners in the NFL who realize, the reason the TV deals get done is because the average fan is crazy about the game. once we stop attending games, going to message boards, we'll stop watching the games. and when viewership goes down, so does the ad revenue. And once ad revenue goes down, the next tv contract won't be so exciting.

I realize it's really contrarian to say that the NFL is at a cross roads right now, but i believe they are. If they continue to make games unavailable on Thursday nights, keep moving games to locations that don't care about football, and keep making the everyday fan experience harder and more expensive, they'll lose fans and interest.

No one ever thought in the 90's that basketball would lose it's label as best run league. but here we are 10-15 years later with high school kids playing for guaranteed contracts on teams that no one cares about.

No, I'm taking the realistic route. The NFL has to approve ownership and Jim Kelly can't make the league let him and his investors by the team no matter what he says. I applaud him for the effort but the final decision is out of his hands. That's the reality. It would be nice if good intentions bought an NFL franchise, but they don't.

[Jeff1220]

Maybe RW is going to will them the team?

[OpIv37]

Because the prespective owners that they reject could sue the living hell out of them. I don't think the NFL has ever rejected the sale of a franchise, at least not that I can remember.

sue on what grounds? The NFL is a private entity, franchises are private property and they can sell to whoever they want to. The only grounds for a lawsuit would be some sort of racial or religious discrimination.

[OpIv37]

Maybe RW is going to will them the team?

interesting thought, though they'd still need to come up with millions to pay the taxes.

Gotta love this country- you spend your whole life building something and paying income tax, then when you die, you can't even give it away without the government taking a cut.

[trapezeus]

but you are taking a pessimistic approach. you are assuming kelly is just being a demogogue about this.

Chances are if kelly is genuinely interested in ownership, he's arranged to get the buyers. and the buyers aren't interested unless the sale can go through. Kelly isn't the buyer as much as he's the point guy to navigate the system.

Maybe Kelly is speaking out his ass, but for his reputation, he has nothing to gain by saying it without having done the leg work. I trust he's run the idea by the league. and then run it by potential ownership group. The ownership group most likely wouldn't care to commit unless they know their plan is viable.

I'm going to side with Kelly on this until it's proved wrong.

[trapezeus]

sue on what grounds? The NFL is a private entity, franchises are private property and they can sell to whoever they want to. The only grounds for a lawsuit would be some sort of racial or religious discrimination.

interesting, maybe the ownership group should become a cult and if they are rejected they can sue on those grounds. :-)

[OpIv37]

but you are taking a pessimistic approach. you are assuming kelly is just being a demogogue about this.

Chances are if kelly is genuinely interested in ownership, he's arranged to get the buyers. and the buyers aren't interested unless the sale can go through. Kelly isn't the buyer as much as he's the point guy to navigate the system.

Maybe Kelly is speaking out his ass, but for his reputation, he has nothing to gain by saying it without having done the leg work. I trust he's run the idea by the league. and then run it by potential ownership group. The ownership group most likely wouldn't care to commit unless they know their plan is viable.

I'm going to side with Kelly on this until it's proved wrong.

I don't think Kelly's being a demogogue. I think his efforts are genuine and he really wants to keep the team in Buffalo.

But in the end, it's not up to him. He doesn't have the power to make the NFL pull the trigger on the deal. I like the fact that he's doing everything in his power to make this work- I just don't like the guarantee because he doesn't have the authority to do that.

As far as the buyers, there has to be a realistic chance that they can win the team for them to be interested, but it doesn't have to be 100%. I work in government contracting and I've seen the companies I've worked for lose bids all the time, but they still take the time and effort to place a bid if they feel they have a reasonable chance of getting the contract. That's what's going on with Kelly and any buyers he may have lined up. They know there's no guarantee but something made them feel that it's worth the effort to try.

They can come up with a bid, but someone else may come up with a better one. Or the NFL might just decide they can make more money in Toronto or LA and not even consider Buffalo bids. There are factors here that are out of their control.

[Forward_Lateral]

I thought I read somewhere that even if Wilson leaves the team to someone, that person would still need around $400 million. Is this right?

[OpIv37]

I thought I read somewhere that even if Wilson leaves the team to someone, that person would still need around $400 million. Is this right?

Inheritance tax is around 50% I believe, so if the team were worth in the $800 million range, that amount would make sense.

[trapezeus]

True Op. But unlike Government contracting (and you know more than i do about this), but an NFL purchase uses primarily individual wealth and the prestige those individuals want. Therefore, they aren't going to say, "jim, we're in if you can get it done, and if not, we'll wait for another team to sell." These are motivated people who want this. They also don't hold their wealth in really liquid investments. So if they are going to be on the hook for buying this team, then need extremely advanced notice (if they have a concentrated ownership in a company or hedge fund ownership, they need time to get the cash).

As a result, they get point men to navigate the NFL's expectations. Does the nfl expect a new stadium, is there a revenue target, if so, who can model out those pieces and make sure it is viable in Buffalo.

That's where i think Kelly has done the legwork. i think he's arranged for the ownership structure to know what it needs to do and how much it will cost.

I really don't think the NFL wants teams moving to LA and Toronto with strong roots and a strong fan base. It's one thing to move a jacksonville team since it never really established. but to move a team that has such an identity in a region, that's a recipe for disaster. Everyone knows that LA is a risky adventure. there is a stadium that is needed, and they need the stadium to be filled. LA has proven they aren't really that interested in building the stadium or having a football team. Moving a team with a strong fan base and not succeeding in LA could be really damaging to their image. Again, making the everyday fan less interested.

And Kelly really would be very stupid to be talking so publically if he hasn't been actively pursuing this. if he's just like, "i got a rich friend and they have rich friends and we are going to get it done. i guarantee it". Not only will he look like an ass when it blows up, but he loses so much support that fans give for doing absolutely nothing.

[trapezeus]

Inheritance tax is around 50% I believe, so if the team were worth in the $800 million range, that amount would make sense.

but the George W. inheritance tax is not applicable in 2010. so, if the RW dies in 2010, the heir could sell and and only deal with the taxes associated to the deal. Which shouldn't be an issue since they would be getting cash on the deal.

[Michael82]

Haven't any of you thought of the possibility of Kelly getting Ralph's attention and maybe doing somelike like Lamar Hunt did....set the team up quietly behind the scenes, so when he passes away, it automatically goes to someone else like Golisano or Kelly or something...

[OpIv37]

Haven't any of you thought of the possibility of Kelly getting Ralph's attention and maybe doing somelike like Lamar Hunt did....set the team up quietly behind the scenes, so when he passes away, it automatically goes to someone else like Golisano or Kelly or something...

if Ralph wanted to do that he would have done it years ago.

[clumping platelets]

I'm gonna predict the new ownership group includes

Warren Buffett

He directly or indirectly owns the Buffalo News

:brush:

[Historian]

Don't underestimate his influence, either.

He's a Hall of Fame player.

People still listen when he talks.

[realdealryan]

Maybe RW is going to will them the team?

Not bashing, but why would a businessman who is trying to make money decide to give away his 47+ year project? Doesn't he have children?

[HotRod]

Not bashing, but why would a businessman who is trying to make money decide to give away his 47+ year project? Doesn't he have children?


From what I've read - his daughter isn't interested.

[realdealryan]

From what I've read - his daughter isn't interested.

Not interested in the money!?!?!?!

[OpIv37]

Not interested in the money!?!?!?!

not interested in figuring out how to pay the hundreds of millions of dollars in inheritance taxes the government would take from her if she did get the team from her dad.