This is the 2nd time I've read something like this...

[JD]

At a meeting Tom Golisano dropped a bombshell about the nefarious Ralph
Wilson. Golisano claims that Wilson's intentions all along have been to
move the Bills to Toronto. Stay with me on this......there are
businessmen in Toronto that are ready to plunk down mega-millions for the
Bills and move them there. Wilson already let the NFL know of this
(Apparently they can't stop him either). Golisano & the people from Rich
Products offered Wilson a similar financial package but Wilson
demurred....when they offered him more, he demurred again...& said he
wouldn't sell the team to them no matter how much they offered; it's not
about money. Wilson wants it to be his legacy that he be the first person
to bring international play to the NFL. Still with me..? There's
more.... Not to be dismayed, TG went to the NFL & has an agreement that
when the Bills move, they cannot take their name with them, ala Baltimore
Colts/Ravens. After the move to TO, Buffalo will be granted an expansion
franchise with the promise that they build a new stadium & sell it out for
5 consecutive years. (the NFL wants a franchise in Buffalo because it's
one of the original teams & has history in the league) TG agreed to do
this & will build a DOMED stadium on the waterfront in Buffalo with a
capacity of 60,000. In addition, Buffalo will be granted a Super Bowl in
the future. The caveat to this is that Buffalo will be without a football
team for 3-4 years. The wheels are already in motion & no one can stop it.
TG says that RW is playing the game right now..ie: crying the blues about
money, saying enjoy the team while it's here, not signing/keeping star
players, etc. Next year or possibly the year after the BIlls will be gone.
Willis McGahee may have let the cat out of the bag with his recent TO talk
in Penthouse. Star players don't want to come to B-lo because they know
RW is a tight ass. TG also said that if he ran the team he will not be
such a cheapskate & would turn things around in a hurry like he did with
the Sabres.

http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=3346

I read elsewhere that more and more Toronto games will be added to the schedule until 1 full season is played in Toronto while a new stadium (with a retractable roof) gets built on the waterfront. Depending on how that lone season sells in Toronto, the NFL may or may not move a team up there (it wont be the bills).

What do you guys think?

[YardRat]

Stranger things have happened, but I doubt the validity of the conclusion.

The McGahee article referenced was, what? 3 years ago? And what the hell would he know to let it 'out of the bag'?

[YardRat]

Also, if the team relocated to Toronto isn't Buffalo, it won't be anybody. Ralph and any new owner have claim over enough of Ontario to block the move.

[Demon]

Total BS. The post JD posted, was orginally made early 2007. If this had ANY truth, some of it would come out in the open by now. And, Jim Kelly recently said he's confident the Bills will remain in Buffalo and he talks to Roger Goodell and Ralph Wilson on a regular basis. Don't ya think he would know something if anything was up instead of some weirdo poster on some sketchy web site forum?

[BILLSROCK1212]

look, would it suck?? yes...i'm not a buffaloanian...and those 3 years would be horrific, but in the long run who knows??

[YardRat]

Total BS. The post JD posted, was orginally made early 2007. If this had ANY truth, some of it would come out in the open by now. And, Jim Kelly recently said he's confident the Bills will remain in Buffalo and he talks to Roger Goodell and Ralph Wilson on a regular basis. Don't ya think he would know something if anything was up instead of some weirdo poster on some sketchy web site forum?

Not that I'm attempting to support the OP in any manner, but Kelly was doing his weekly show for a local FM morning show a couple of days ago and he indicated that he hadn't spoken to Ralph in a while regarding future ownership and had the impression that Wilson wasn't too interested in those discussions at this time.

Jimbo sounded kind of discouraged, TBH.

[Demon]

Not that I'm attempting to support the OP in any manner, but Kelly was doing his weekly show for a local FM morning show a couple of days ago and he indicated that he hadn't spoken to Ralph in a while regarding future ownership and had the impression that Wilson wasn't too interested in those discussions at this time.

Jimbo sounded kind of discouraged, TBH.

I could have swore Thurman Thomas said him and Kelly speak to Wilson on a regular basis, but i could be wrong.

This is the latest i've heard from Kelly and he doesn't sound too dejected... it's from Scott Pitoniak's November 1st blog- http://scottpitoniak.blogspot.com/2009/11/jim-kelly-tackles-number-of-topics.html

[YardRat]

I didn't hear the entire show...could've missed something that contradicts my perception.

[capitolneal]

Buffalo doesn't have enough space to accomadate the Superbowl... Hell Dallas just barely has enough

[capitolneal]

by space I mean hotel space

[sdbillsfan2]

I mentioned it in other posts and I'll repeat it here because i think it's relevant.
For the team to succeed in Toronto or any other city , it has to be financially viable year in and year out. Those Toronto fans of the Bills will tell you if they were honest , that they'd rather see the Bills stay in Buffalo. Why? Well for one even with the travel expense it's still cheaper to go to Buffalo to catch a game.
Point 2 is the games are far more enjoyable in OP then there are in Toronto for them as well. The tailgating , the support etc.
Hockey is and will always remain #1 in Toronto. The Maple leafs are the draw. The Blue Jays, and Raptors have never come close to equalling the fan base of the Leafs. Do you honestly see Canadians paying an inflated price to watch American football? The Canadians have football, They Love Hockey and it IS the Great Canadian Past time.
You can move the team any where but if you can't fill the seat every game , your investment is for nothing.

[BillsWin]

The Bills won't move in fact the Toronto initiative actually makes sure that as long as they have that agreement the team stays in Buffalo. To be quite honest I think the NFL needs teams like Buffalo and the cities like Buffalo need the NFL.

The Bills have no business moving. They sell out constantly. What they need is an owner that gives a damn about putting the correct personel in place. Buffalo deserves a championship and Ralph is holding them back at the moment.

[yordad]

I wouldn't mind that.

[Jan Reimers]

Pure nonsense.

[MassEffect218435]

The team should stay in Buffalo, but the fans should be made to pay what every other NFL fan has to pay to attend a game. If fans can't dish out $99+ a seat and $50+ for parking to help make the team more profitable and worth keeping in Buffalo then it's time to move on to greener pastures. Toronto is probably a best case scenario if the Bills are going to move anywhere, at least they'd still be within spitting distance.

[Slick]

Ralph will die someday. And the Bills may move to Toronto. But Buffalo will never ever ever EVER get a Super Bowl played there. That is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. So I don't believe this story.

[BillsWin]

Ralph will die someday. And the Bills may move to Toronto. But Buffalo will never ever ever EVER get a Super Bowl played there. That is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. So I don't believe this story.

exactly. The amount of things Buffalo would have to do in order to secure a Superbowl is ridiculous. I think they would need to build somewhere close to 5-8 more hotels to reach the standards! Think of the amount of media that attends the Super Bowl, Buffalo is nowhere near ready to hold that many people.

[THATHURMANATOR]

JD I have seen this exact thing posted for like 3 years. Pretty sure it is complete crap.

[DMBcrew36]

http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=3346

I read elsewhere that more and more Toronto games will be added to the schedule until 1 full season is played in Toronto while a new stadium (with a retractable roof) gets built on the waterfront. Depending on how that lone season sells in Toronto, the NFL may or may not move a team up there (it wont be the bills).

What do you guys think?

I recall having read a post from someone relaying that EXACT same claim/story about Golisano, a year or so ago, word for word. Someone is just reposting that same lame old rumor/tale.

It's just some BS someone made up.

[Nighthawk]

I could have swore Thurman Thomas said him and Kelly speak to Wilson on a regular basis, but i could be wrong.

This is the latest i've heard from Kelly and he doesn't sound too dejected... it's from Scott Pitoniak's November 1st blog- http://scottpitoniak.blogspot.com/2009/11/jim-kelly-tackles-number-of-topics.html

Great read...thanks for posting!

[Nighthawk]

exactly. The amount of things Buffalo would have to do in order to secure a Superbowl is ridiculous. I think they would need to build somewhere close to 5-8 more hotels to reach the standards! Think of the amount of media that attends the Super Bowl, Buffalo is nowhere near ready to hold that many people.

Not yet, but they are slowly adding more hotel rooms downtown and it seems to be a focus for developers. I'll never say never, but they couldn't do it right now.

[HHURRICANE]

This is BS. Everyone knows the Bills are moving to LA.:sadbye:

[OpIv37]

There are a million holes in that story. First, what authority would Golisano have to guarantee the name stays in Buffalo? He has no official affiliation with the team. Second, why would the league expand again? That makes no sense at the moment. Third, why would the league agree to 2 franchises in a region that is barely supporting one at the moment?

I woudnt be surprised to learn that Ralph intends to sell the team to Toronto but I have a hard time buying anything else in that post.