Donald Trump discusses Bills

[kelly2reed4six]

http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=10709415

[SpikedLemonade]

"Russ Brandon…you're fired!"

[BidsJr]

Yes Please.

[trapezeus]

the don is a gambler. it might work, but remember this is the only guy to lose money as the house in casinos and made a huge push to make the USFL a direct competitor to the NFL and lost that gamble as the league folded. Otherwise it was puttering along as a second football league.

i like that he wouldn't be bland, but i don't think he always makes great choices and just goes with his gut....which 4 marriages later has been wrong more than right.

[jimmifli]

I'd be fine with it provided his wife wins the Bills in the divorce.

[Let's go buffalo]

Lady gaga could buy the team for all I care as long as she kept the team in Buffalo

[swiper]

Let's have a little dignity, shall we?

[direbills]

I hope not. Having Trump as an owner will make it difficult to support the team going forward.

[Historian]

Trump wanted in back in the 80s.

Perhaps its time.

[Meathead]

i hope it works out that donald and herman cain end up going halvsies so we can say the bills are owned by a white dick and a black ass hole

[Meathead]

seems like the donald would be the worst kind of nfl owner imaginable. lets label that one our doomsday option

[Uncle Jesse]

He is friends with the Kelly family, and is housing them in NYC. I'm guessing he was a major part in Jim's talks of having a plan or team in place to do something. Also sounds like Galisano and Pegula have muttered interest in the team. I'm actually less worried than ever with names like these popping up from reputable sources lately.

[Oaf]

An interesting counterpoint to Trump owning the Bills.. http://www.salon.com/2011/04/21/trump_tollin_usfl/

[jamesiscool]

I wonder if this has anything to do with it or if it's all just some super gross sick disturbing April fools joke.

http://stepoutbuffalo.com/trump-resorts-to-rebuild-buffalo/

[Bill Cody]

birthers need not apply

[X-Era]

I want the Bills in Buffalo but Trump? Really?

He's at the Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder level.

Talk about a polar opposite from Ralph.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Wait, isn't he part of the reason the USFl fell apart? He'd be like a combo of Jerry Jones and Al Davis. I'll pass.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I hope not. Having Trump as an owner will make it difficult to support the team going forward.

Why?

I hate false outrage.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

"Russ Brandon…you're fired!"

Then again, I'd give him like 10 to 15% ownership of the team if he would hold a press conference and say those words.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

i hope it works out that donald and herman cain end up going halvsies so we can say the bills are owned by a white dick and a black ass hole

That would be . . . well . . . a marriage made in San Fransisco.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Wait, isn't he part of the reason the USFl fell apart? He'd be like a combo of Jerry Jones and Al Davis. I'll pass.

Was he the reason?

[BertSquirtgum]

I want the Bills in Buffalo but Trump? Really?

He's at the Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder level.

Talk about a polar opposite from Ralph.

Ill take the Donald as an owner over no Bills in Buffalo.

[direbills]

No false outrage. It is reality.

I have no ties to the Buffalo area. In spite of this being a pathetic team for a while I still support it. Won't take much to push me over the edge.



Why?

I hate false outrage.

[SpikedLemonade]

That would be . . . well . . . a marriage made in San Fransisco.

Not if the black ******* was female.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Was he the reason?

He was one of the key owners who decided to move the league to a fall league and not a spring league. To be fair, some owners of that league had no sound business plan, but some teams --most notably the Denver Gold -- were actually either close to turning a profit or actually were. Furthermore, that league decided to expand way to quickly. They jumped from 12 to 20 teams after just one season and paid their stars way too much money. Also, they lost their anti-trust lawsuit. However, Donald Trump typifies the kind of bad ownership practices that doomed that league.

[Meathead]

the donald with an nfl franchise would make snyder, jones and davis look like absentee owners

[trapezeus]

his divisive politics and personality aside, the more successful teams have been where the owners stay out of the spotlight. They aren't trying to seem like they know everything.

Trump can not resist the spotlight. If he could work it into his show, and fire people, he would. That's who he is and how he runs things.

i think the bills front office needs a big change, but it doesn't need to be a carnival act. It just needs talented football people making the decisions.

[BertSquirtgum]

the donald with an nfl franchise would make snyder, jones and davis look like absentee owners

Yupp. It would be awesome. Buffalo would have their own ******* owner.

[Mr. Miyagi]

seems like the donald would be the worst kind of nfl owner imaginable. lets label that one our doomsday option
And we thought Jerry Jones was bad?

[cookie G]

the helmet logo for the Buffalo Trumps

16813

[cookie G]

He was one of the key owners who decided to move the league to a fall league and not a spring league. To be fair, some owners of that league had no sound business plan, but some teams --most notably the Denver Gold -- were actually either close to turning a profit or actually were. Furthermore, that league decided to expand way to quickly. They jumped from 12 to 20 teams after just one season and paid their stars way too much money. Also, they lost their anti-trust lawsuit. However, Donald Trump typifies the kind of bad ownership practices that doomed that league.

As the article someone else posted points out..he wanted an NFL franchise...badly. I remember watching the30-30 thing and the main point was that he wanted to go head to head with the NFL to force a merger. He was hoping..4 to 6 teams or something would be merged into the NFL.

[TacklingDummy]

Whoever buys the Bills will the Bills still have one of the lowest ticket prices in the NFL?

[SpikedLemonade]

Whoever buys the Bills will the Bills still have one of the lowest ticket prices in the NFL?

I doubt it.

What would be the point of spending close to a billion dollars to keep the team in Buffalo just to keep the prices low?

I would expect the Bills should be raising the price of tickets by double digits year after year starting now until they reach the mid-point.

Fans right now should be buying Bills tickets at any price in the fear this team will be relocated if fan support wanes.

[Meathead]

well not if somebody like bobby rich (awesome name for an owner btw) or other local jazillionare bought the team

[Albany,n.y.]

birthers need not apply

I'm afraid I'll have to search around & find my birth certificate in order to get into the stadium.

[Albany,n.y.]

the donald with an nfl franchise would make snyder, jones and davis look like absentee owners

Yes, but he may be another Steinbrenner & buy us a winning team. Do you think he'd settle for anyone less than the best coach available if Marrone hasn't won big by the time he takes over?

[trapezeus]

Whoever buys the Bills will the Bills still have one of the lowest ticket prices in the NFL?

Yep because that language is in the lease and provides a subsidy to the team. Nys provides a tiered payment to the bills to keep games affordable. The lowest ticket price hasn't been a charity. It ensures the bills get more money from state when their weak product has empty seats.

[YardRat]

Does anybody really think he would get the necessary approval numbers from the rest of the owners?

[TacklingDummy]

Yes, but he may be another Steinbrenner & buy us a winning team. Do you think he'd settle for anyone less than the best coach available if Marrone hasn't won big by the time he takes over?
Steinbrenner teams won with homegrown talent with a couple of free agents thrown in the mix.

If the Bills can draft a Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte, Bernie Williams, and then sign Free agents Paul Oneil, Roger Clemens, David Cone, Tino Martinez, Jimmy Key, I'm not sure you hear anyone *****ing.

[Albany,n.y.]

Steinbrenner teams won with homegrown talent with a couple of free agents thrown in the mix.

If the Bills can draft a Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte, Bernie Williams, and then sign Free agents Paul Oneil, Roger Clemens, David Cone, Tino Martinez, Jimmy Key, I'm not sure you hear anyone *****ing.

Rivera & Williams weren't drafted. I'm a Yankees fan (born in the Bronx, went to college upstate, lived in Buffalo for a while-just like the Coach) and I'm all for buying championships. I didn't ***** the last time I went to a World Series game in Yankee Stadium and I would love to go to a Super Bowl to root on the Bills when their haters are calling them the best team money can buy. Now it's a little tougher with the cap, but long term deals with huge signing bonuses can get us 1 or 2 Lombardis.

[DynaPaul]

The owners would never approve him plus he'd be an embarrassment for the franchise as he'd probably declare bankruptcy and bail. Can you imagine Trump Stadium? I think I'm going to hurl now.

[THATHURMANATOR]

No false outrage. It is reality.

I have no ties to the Buffalo area. In spite of this being a pathetic team for a while I still support it. Won't take much to push me over the edge.

So lame but see ya.

I don't understand how people let things effect them so severly. I call it emotional sickness.

Yeah Trump buys the team and keeps them in Buffalo and instantly gives them national publicity but I don't like his reality show or whatever and I am gone. YUUUUCCCKKKKK

[THATHURMANATOR]

The owners would never approve him plus he'd be an embarrassment for the franchise as he'd probably declare bankruptcy and bail. Can you imagine Trump Stadium? I think I'm going to hurl now.

Explain why he would not be approved.

How would he declare bankruptcy on an NFL team?

What are you talking about?

[Meathead]

we are all gods children and trump is just one of gods unsavory dick kids. hes not the worst kind of person, hes just a dick. hes a celeb only due to most ppls sick adoration of money. when he gets off that topic hes comically inept and doesnt even realize it due to all the money related adoration he gets. internal drama in professional sports is usually a total disaster and a trump team would be perpetually loaded with it

it would be awesome if we could avoid that and still keep the team here

[Meathead]

Yes, but he may be another Steinbrenner & buy us a winning team.

salary caps were invented to make steinbrennering a title virtually impossible

[DraftBoy]

He'd have to sell off his Atlantic City Casinos before he could ever be considered and I don't think he's willing to do that.

[trapezeus]

He'd have to sell off his Atlantic City Casinos before he could ever be considered and I don't think he's willing to do that.

He did. his name is branded and the ownership group that owns the casinos use his brand name. he has nothing to do with operations of the casino.

[DraftBoy]

He did. his name is branded and the ownership group that owns the casinos use his brand name. he has nothing to do with operations of the casino.

I thought he still held a minority stake and takes in royalties off the branding?

[DynaPaul]

Explain why he would not be approved.

How would he declare bankruptcy on an NFL team?

What are you talking about?

A - Because the owner's don't want him in their club.
B - Have you looked at his history? He bankrupted a casino. That's practically a license to print money.
C - Do some more research on this bum. He is not self made. He inherited his fortune from his father and squandered most of the cash he was left while making poor business deals. The guy is all hype and no substance and would be the worst possible self-promoting owner around. In other words - don't believe his media crafted image.

That's what I'M talking about!

[cookie G]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2014/04/02/buying-buffalo-bills-would-save-donald-trump-a-fortune-in-taxes/


Donald Trump says he has been approached by a group of investors interested in buying the Buffalo Bills from the estate of Ralph Wilson, the NFL team’s founder who passed away last week. His reply to the potential buyers: “I will take a look at it.”

Of course he will. From a tax standpoint, being part of a group that bought the Bills would be a smart move.

The Bills would go for around $900 million, and tax law established in 2004 allows the buyer to count the majority of the purchase price as an “intangible” asset that can be amortized–deducted from profits–over 15 years. Given their recently improved (from the standpoint of the Bills) stadium lease and the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, even a small market team like Buffalo is likely to generate at least $200 million in pretax income over the next 15 years.


Let’s assume that $800 million of the purchase price is amortized over 15 years. Such a large write-off would eliminate the team’s tax bill entirely. Moreover, the remainder ($600 million) of the write-off could be used to shield taxes from the other businesses owned by the team’s investors. Even if Trump were, say, just a 20% owner of the Bills, he would have perhaps $120 million of write-offs to deduct from his profitable businesses, like television and training programs.

[Dr. Lecter]

Donald Trump, as he's wont to do, caused a media stir today.

Trump told WBEN 930-AM he might be interested in purchasing the Buffalo Bills to keep the team in Western New York.

"It would be catastrophic, in my opinion, if Buffalo lost the Buffalo Bills," Trump said.

Any such talk is greeted with enthusiasm here. Bills fans for decades have been nervous about the team someday leaving town. The possibility became even more palpable last week, when 95-year-old Bills owner Ralph Wilson died.

When I spoke with Trump last week about Jim Kelly, the billionaire developer and entertainer declined, out of respect for Wilson, whose funeral was two days away, to chat about any potential interest he might have in buying the Bills.

Trump felt comfortable enough to talk about it today with multiple news outlets. But left unaddressed were solutions to two notable problems Trump would face if he decided to go forward with a purchase.

Forbes magazine estimates Trump is worth $3.9 billion, more than Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ($3.1 billion) and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft ($3 billion).

Only a handful is estimated to be worth more than Trump: Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen ($10.9 billion), St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke ($5.6 billion), Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross ($5.5 billion), Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer ($4.5 billion) and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan ($4.3 billion).

Money alone, however, won't get Trump into the fraternity.

NFL ownership is bound by strict business rules and requires approval of the group.

Trump has issues on both fronts.

NFL owners cannot have any gambling interests, and Trump owns a pair of Atlantic City casinos, the Trump Taj Mahal and the Trump Plaza.

From the NFL's gambling policy:

NFL personnel shall not work for, own or operate, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, individually or through any business organization, any casino (whether or not such casino operates a "sports book" or otherwise accepts wagering on sports), or other gambling-related enterprise, including, without limitation, any online, computer-based, telephone, or internet gambling service, card rooms, lotteries, slot machine operations, horse or dog-racing tracks, off-track betting services, as well as advisory services such as publications, "tout services," and the like, whether or not such services address professional football or any other team sport.

The NFL defines personnel as, "All players, coaches and other full- and part-time club and league personnel, including but not limited to team owners, trainers, officials, security personnel, consultants, and other staff."

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04/01/dont-get-overly-excited-donald-trumps-possible-interest-buffalo-bills/

[Dr. Lecter]

I doubt it.

What would be the point of spending close to a billion dollars to keep the team in Buffalo just to keep the prices low?

I would expect the Bills should be raising the price of tickets by double digits year after year starting now until they reach the mid-point.

Fans right now should be buying Bills tickets at any price in the fear this team will be relocated if fan support wanes.

Except ticket prices really do not add much to a team's profit. It is a minor drop in the bucket.

Come on - you know that.

[SpikedLemonade]

Except ticket prices really do not add much to a team's profit. It is a minor drop in the bucket.

Come on - you know that.

I do and seat revenue (as opposed to suite revenue) is shared but an aggressive owner will not want to be seen as having the cheapest tickets in the league.

[Dr. Lecter]

I do and seat revenue (as opposed to suite revenue) is shared but an aggressive owner will not want to be seen as having the cheapest tickets in the league.


Proabably not, but that is much different than double digit increases year after year

[SpikedLemonade]

Proabably not, but that is much different than double digit increases year after year

At a time the fans fear a relocation if they do not support the team is not a good time to increase ticket prices quickly?

I think fans will pay those increases now.

[trapezeus]

I do and seat revenue (as opposed to suite revenue) is shared but an aggressive owner will not want to be seen as having the cheapest tickets in the league.

again, the STATE of NY provides a subsidy to the bills when their prices are within a certain band. It is beneficial to the bills to be the cheapest ticket in the league. i would assume NYS would continue to work this into the equation with future owners.

[Famous Amos]

He did. his name is branded and the ownership group that owns the casinos use his brand name. he has nothing to do with operations of the casino.
You ought to let WGR's afternoon show know that because they are convinced that will be the main reason why Trump wouldn't be eligible to become an owner.

[upstart]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2014/04/02/buying-buffalo-bills-would-save-donald-trump-a-fortune-in-taxes/


Donald Trump says he has been approached by a group of investors interested in buying the Buffalo Bills from the estate of Ralph Wilson, the NFL team’s founder who passed away last week. His reply to the potential buyers: “I will take a look at it.”

Of course he will. From a tax standpoint, being part of a group that bought the Bills would be a smart move.

The Bills would go for around $900 million, and tax law established in 2004 allows the buyer to count the majority of the purchase price as an “intangible” asset that can be amortized–deducted from profits–over 15 years. Given their recently improved (from the standpoint of the Bills) stadium lease and the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, even a small market team like Buffalo is likely to generate at least $200 million in pretax income over the next 15 years.


Let’s assume that $800 million of the purchase price is amortized over 15 years. Such a large write-off would eliminate the team’s tax bill entirely. Moreover, the remainder ($600 million) of the write-off could be used to shield taxes from the other businesses owned by the team’s investors. Even if Trump were, say, just a 20% owner of the Bills, he would have perhaps $120 million of write-offs to deduct from his profitable businesses, like television and training programs.

Rush Limbaugh has been meeting with Trump lately. Rush has been looking to buy a team for a few years now.

[Mace]

I thought he still held a minority stake and takes in royalties off the branding?

27% I think, an NFL no no.

Realistically though, he's running for Prez, then not, Governor then not, Prez again, no, Gov maybe, no, Gov, Prez, Bills ! No. Maybe. Not, Sure !

He's just sticking his face in the limelight again for the sake of it. Probably a better chance Paladino buys it with an investment group including Irv Weinstein, Rick Azar, Tom Jolls, Regis Philbin and Jerry Mathers, as the Beaver.