Source: Bills could have a new owner as early as October

[BuffaloWingEater]

It's aggressive but is possible. Buffalo is finally an up and coming city that has been getting good economic press. Keeping the Bills will continue the Buffalo Renaissance. Losing the Bills would be catastrophic.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04/03/source-bills-wont-ease-sale-process-new-owner-early-october/

[WagonCircler]

This can't be anything but good news. No way they move this fast if there wasn't a plan already in place.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04/03/source-bills-wont-ease-sale-process-new-owner-early-october/

[BuffaloWingEater]

mods please merge with wagon. thanks.

[WagonCircler]

mods please merge with wagon. thanks.


Sorry about that. You beat me by 2 minutes.

[stuckincincy]

It's aggressive but is possible. Buffalo is finally an up and coming city that has been getting good economic press. Keeping the Bills will continue the Buffalo Renaissance. Losing the Bills would be catastrophic.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04/03/source-bills-wont-ease-sale-process-new-owner-early-october/

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

[better days]

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

When is the last time you were there?

[swiper]

This can't be anything but good news. No way they move this fast if there wasn't a plan already in place.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/04/03/source-bills-wont-ease-sale-process-new-owner-early-october/

PFT....



A quick sale would make it hard for current ownership to tie the hands of a new owner by agreeing to a stadium deal that keeps the team in place for, say, 20 or 30 years. Ultimately, the question becomes whether new principal owner Mary Wilson wants to maximize her return by selling to the highest bidder, even if that bidder would soon bid adieu to Western New York.


http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/03/report-bills-could-have-new-owner-by-october/

We've gotta hear more details. Who exactly heads up the buying team?

[SquishDaFish]

I would think its good news. This means they must of had a plan in place for when Mr. Wilson passes. And now they are executing the plan. Im going to guess its an investment team with Kelly at the head

[Night Train]

The out of towners will just have to deal with the fact that the team is staying in WNY and their 20 year dream of announcing the move will never happen.

[better days]

PFT....




http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/03/report-bills-could-have-new-owner-by-october/

We've gotta hear more details. Who exactly heads up the buying team?

Well a new owner could move the Bills after 2020, but if the team is sold this soon, I think it can only mean an ownership group is in place to buy the team & keep it in Buffalo.

As has been said before, Mary Wilson wants to honor Ralph's legacy & keep the team in WNY.

[don137]

It's not like Ralph's passing and plan to sell team after passing came as a huge surprise. NFL teams just do not come up for sale everyday. Investors probably have been planning this for years whether it be good or bad. When he died I am sure the investors reconvened and asked if anything changed and when they said they are in they are going full steam ahead.
It will not be hard to tell what are the intentions of the new owner. He has 6 years. If no long range plan is given to keep team in Buffalo it will be apparent within a couple years.

[DraftBoy]

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

Not sure that's true. It was recently named one of the most affordable cities in America to live in and the economy is doing rather well compared to other cities in the region of the same size.

It's not a booming metropolis but its definitely been improving over the last 5-7 years.

[better days]

It's not like Ralph's passing and plan to sell team after passing came as a huge surprise. NFL teams just do not come up for sale everyday. Investors probably have been planning this for years whether it be good or bad. When he died I am sure the investors reconvened and asked if anything changed and when they said they are in they are going full steam ahead.
It will not be hard to tell what are the intentions of the new owner. He has 6 years. If no long range plan is given to keep team in Buffalo it will be apparent within a couple years.

I think the owners intentions to keep the Bills in Buffalo will be apparent as soon as they are named.

If the new ownership has any ties to Buffalo, the Bills will be staying & I think that will be the case.

[OpIv37]

I just want this whole thing to be over with.

If the team is going to move, just get it done so we can deal with it and get on with our lives.

If the team isn't going to move, just prove it so we can stop having these discussions.

[trapezeus]

to me, this all reads that the bills were looking to get a new stadium with NYS prior to the passing of ralph. and now, NYS and the stadium committee are pushing to get a deal done. Once that is set up and the subsidies for the new owners are hammered out, they'll announce who that new owner/ownership group is.

without knowing the inner workers of this, it seems like the bills longevity in buffalo looks brighter today than it did maybe 5-6 years ago. and if that ends up being the case, ralph really did want his legacy to be that he kept football in buffalo and he'll deserve a lot of credit.

[Dr. Who]

The out of towners will just have to deal with the fact that the team is staying in WNY and their 20 year dream of announcing the move will never happen.

Not sure if you mean investment groups from out of town or people who live out of town. I lived about seven or eight years in Buffalo in my youth. I've lived the large portion of my life elsewhere. Nonetheless, my heart is and always will be in Buffalo. If the team ever left the city, my interest in the NFL goes down to zero.

[Meathead]

has ms wilson come out and commented at all about her intentions? if not then this talk of her being committed to ralphs preferences might be moot. one of the disgusting realities about life is that when ppl die all bets are off. money and possessions often becomes the only important thing once someone is gone. yeah like i said, disgusting. shes facing hundreds of millions in losses to sell the team, thats real money to rich people, she might be looking to get as much as she can and screw ralphs preferences

[trapezeus]

when you live with someone for 30 years, it takes a real ******* to dismiss your entire time with someone. you may not see eye to eye with them all the time, but if you just took a different direction, it really makes you look a jackass. Did she really spend 30 years with ralph just to get ownership of the team? i think the cashflow the bills have made the last 60 years has been pretty good and the last 10, especially, have lined their pockets.

I also don't think the sweetheart deal for a local ownership group is going to be like $100MM. It's going to be fair and the NFL will be on board.

if no ownership group comes forth who is interested in staying in buffalo, then it is up to her to make her choice however she likes.

but as this story keeps developing, it seems like they had a pretty loose plan. if they didn't, they wouldn't have been moving through with stadium group. They'd literally be about being vague and more people would be popping out of the woodwork to jockey for position. The LA developers would have already said something so that their stadium projects got fundings, etc.

[WagonCircler]

but as this story keeps developing, it seems like they had a pretty loose plan. if they didn't, they wouldn't have been moving through with stadium group. They'd literally be about being vague and more people would be popping out of the woodwork to jockey for position. The LA developers would have already said something so that their stadium projects got fundings, etc.

Absolutely. People assume that these groups, The Estate, The Stadium Committee, The potential buyers, operate in a vacuum, but they don't. They all talk to each other, and I'm sure they have been for quite some time.

I'm having a great laugh at some of these passive aggressive a-holes who are rooting for the Bills to move but pretending not to. It's a sad time for them.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

Explain your reasoning.

Do you live here?

[THATHURMANATOR]

Not sure that's true. It was recently named one of the most affordable cities in America to live in and the economy is doing rather well compared to other cities in the region of the same size.

It's not a booming metropolis but its definitely been improving over the last 5-7 years.

Exactly. It will never be a booming metropolis and I am happy about that. I can tell you for certain things are on the upswing bigtime.

Just so sick of people who don't have any original thoughts spewing crap they don't even know first hand.

[Famous Amos]

Well a new owner could move the Bills after 2020, but if the team is sold this soon, I think it can only mean an ownership group is in place to buy the team & keep it in Buffalo.

As has been said before, Mary Wilson wants to honor Ralph's legacy & keep the team in WNY.

I'm not being argumentative, but by whom has said that Mary Wilson wants to honor Ralph's legacy and keep the team in WNY. For the past decade or two, the common belief has been that the team will be sold to the highest bidder. When has that policy changed?

[better days]

I'm not being argumentative, but by whom has said that Mary Wilson wants to honor Ralph's legacy and keep the team in WNY. For the past decade or two, the common belief has been that the team will be sold to the highest bidder. When has that policy changed?

Listen to WGR sometime.

[Famous Amos]

Explain your reasoning.

Do you live here?

Yeah I'm interested in his answer too. I've lived in the city the past two years and in Western New York my entire life. Never have the city looked better, grown more and been more fun than the past five years. Stuckincincy, check out a blog called BuffaloRising , they have some great articles written about the progress the city has seen. If you're a Buffalo fan, you'd enjoy being kept up to date on the going one of the city and that blog does a great job reporting on the little changes not reported in the News or elsewhere.

[DraftBoy]

Listen to WGR sometime.

Because they have access to the personal wishes of Ralph Wilson upon his passing or have spoke to Mary Wilson about her intentions?

I'm shocked that didn't get its own thread...

[Bill Cody]

Because they have access to the personal wishes of Ralph Wilson upon his passing or have spoke to Mary Wilson about her intentions?

I'm shocked that didn't get its own thread...

It's all pure speculation. Selling the team now could just as easily mean Mary Wilson wants to get the estate settled quickly so she can get about the business of spending the old man's money.

[imbondz]

When is the last time you were there?

I was there less than 2 years ago and was horrified. No disrespect to Buffalonians cause I love Buffalo but from what I saw it's not up and coming.

[BuffaloWingEater]

Buffalo is anything but an up and coming city.

You should google it then

[trapezeus]

coming from an established town, downtown buffalo is sad and worn down. if you look at it at a 10Y comparison, there are a lot of projects that in the past would have just been chatter. IT's developing into it's own thing. and it's got a lot of urban planners talking.

pegula really was a game changer. he said it would be hockey heaven and he's delivering some infrastructure and reason for hotels to come up. if buffalo can put a football stadium down there, and get some other development, it will start to get some life.

i think Mary Wilson could go either way, but in truth, i think getting the regular cashflow from the bills estate will be an eye openner. and if the team actually turns around and the fans give her love the way we gave ralph in the 90's, it may remind her of all the wonderful things about her husband. Remember, those 90 teams created an unparalleled buzz in the the region. if you are created and worshipped for it, it's an intoxicating high.

and it seems like NYS and erie county have their ducks in a row to provide Mary Wilson and future owners a strategy to make the endeavor profitable. What's not to like thus far?

[Famous Amos]

I was there less than 2 years ago and was horrified. No disrespect to Buffalonians cause I love Buffalo but from what I saw it's not up and coming.
Fair enough. The city certainly has its rough edges.

[WagonCircler]

coming from an established town, downtown buffalo is sad and worn down. if you look at it at a 10Y comparison, there are a lot of projects that in the past would have just been chatter. IT's developing into it's own thing. and it's got a lot of urban planners talking.

pegula really was a game changer. he said it would be hockey heaven and he's delivering some infrastructure and reason for hotels to come up. if buffalo can put a football stadium down there, and get some other development, it will start to get some life.

While I have a profound distrust for our local politicians, I'm counting on their survival instincts to get this done. There will be a lot of pissed off voters if they f-- this up.

What I see going on downtown, thanks to Terry Pegula, is the sort of thing that started the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, which is now a model for districts just like it all over the country.

I think that if you gather and read all the tea leaves, things are coming together.

I'm just praying the Terry Pegula is even more involved.

[swiper]

Because they have access to the personal wishes of Ralph Wilson upon his passing or have spoke to Mary Wilson about her intentions?

I'm shocked that didn't get its own thread...


Consider the source. There's the answer.

[better days]

Because they have access to the personal wishes of Ralph Wilson upon his passing or have spoke to Mary Wilson about her intentions?

I'm shocked that didn't get its own thread...

It is the people that WGR has had on as guests that have that access.

[better days]

Consider the source. There's the answer.

LMAO, I don't claim to have any inside info, but I watch, read, listen.

Anyone that would do that would know as much as I do about the Bills situation.

Instead, people post things like Robert Rich being a dark horse to buy the team, when I posted long ago that Rich & his friends view the Bills as a cultural asset to the City of Buffalo & WNY & would do everything in their power to keep them in Buffalo.

In the same respect I heard people that know Mary Wilson say on WGR that she is very fond of the Buffalo area.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I was there less than 2 years ago and was horrified. No disrespect to Buffalonians cause I love Buffalo but from what I saw it's not up and coming.

I am not just saying this Mark but you would be shocked what you see just a mere 2 years later.

Maybe you wouldn't be though as I don't know what some people would expect but there is a lot of development in and around the downtown area.


http://buffalorising.com/2014/03/construction-watch-rising-and-falling/

http://buffalorising.com/2014/03/big-step-in-larkin-district-the-square-at-larkinville/

http://buffalorising.com/2014/01/downtown-development-recap-2013-edition/

[better days]

It's all pure speculation. Selling the team now could just as easily mean Mary Wilson wants to get the estate settled quickly so she can get about the business of spending the old man's money.

LMAO. Like Mary Wilson does not already have enough money to buy anything she wants.

[DraftBoy]

It is the people that WGR has had on as guests that have that access.

So claims every radio station in the entire world…you gotta know this...

[Novacane]

When is the last time you were there?


I'm there all the time. It's not up an coming.

[better days]

So claims every radio station in the entire world…you gotta know this...

I have heard them with my own ears, people in the know.

People like John Murphy who know Mary Wilson personally.

[better days]

I'm there all the time. It's not up an coming.

As Buffalo Wing Eater said, Google Buffalo NY.

[swiper]

John Murphy is a buffoon.

[Famous Amos]

I am not just saying this Mark but you would be shocked what you see just a mere 2 years later.

Maybe you wouldn't be though as I don't know what some people would expect but there is a lot of development in and around the downtown area.


http://buffalorising.com/2014/03/construction-watch-rising-and-falling/

http://buffalorising.com/2014/03/big-step-in-larkin-district-the-square-at-larkinville/

http://buffalorising.com/2014/01/downtown-development-recap-2013-edition/


Not saying this was the case for imbondz, but many people color their perspective on Buffalo based on what the see driving on the Scajaquada or the 33 or even the 190. But once you start driving around in the city, you see what has changed for the better. Take a trip down Grant, head over to Larkinville, take in the scene at Canalside from the Liberty Hound. Go see a comedy act at Helium or get some drinks at Iron Works.
I'll admit, Buffalo is lacking in the job creation department. Not too many organizations have moved or started up in Buffalo that is producing goods. Mostly this city is a service based area. That's where I think the city is severely lacking in in growth.

[Novacane]

Not saying this was the case for imbondz, but many people color their perspective on Buffalo based on what the see driving on the Scajaquada or the 33 or even the 190. But once you start driving around in the city, you see what has changed for the better. Take a trip down Grant, head over to Larkinville, take in the scene at Canalside from the Liberty Hound. Go see a comedy act at Helium or get some drinks at Iron Works.
I'll admit, Buffalo is lacking in the job creation department. Not too many organizations have moved or started up in Buffalo that is producing goods. Mostly this city is a service based area. That's where I think the city is severely lacking in in growth.



That's what I'm talking about when I say Buffalo's not an up and coming city. WNY'ers take is to personally when the area is criticized.

[better days]

Not saying this was the case for imbondz, but many people color their perspective on Buffalo based on what the see driving on the Scajaquada or the 33 or even the 190. But once you start driving around in the city, you see what has changed for the better. Take a trip down Grant, head over to Larkinville, take in the scene at Canalside from the Liberty Hound. Go see a comedy act at Helium or get some drinks at Iron Works.
I'll admit, Buffalo is lacking in the job creation department. Not too many organizations have moved or started up in Buffalo that is producing goods. Mostly this city is a service based area. That's where I think the city is severely lacking in in growth.

The entire Country is lacking in producing goods, not just Buffalo.

That is how it is in a free trade World where Corporations can have things produced at pennies on the dollar in China or Mexico.

But Buffalo is getting a reputation as a City where tech/health field jobs are growing. While service based, those are not low paying jobs.

[Mr. Pink]

I am not just saying this Mark but you would be shocked what you see just a mere 2 years later.

Maybe you wouldn't be though as I don't know what some people would expect but there is a lot of development in and around the downtown area.


http://buffalorising.com/2014/03/construction-watch-rising-and-falling/

http://buffalorising.com/2014/03/big-step-in-larkin-district-the-square-at-larkinville/

http://buffalorising.com/2014/01/downtown-development-recap-2013-edition/

Corey, one of these links is typical of Buffalo. Big plans, never do anything with them. Bass Pro, the big Adelphia complex, the new Peace Bridge, etc etc etc... Or like what happened to the casino, there was plans for a huge lavish type complex and instead, a shell of what was envisioned came to fruition.

Some of the suburbs are nice, the city itself is a cesspool that's stuck in 1982.

[superbills]

No, the jobs may not be churning on many levels, but there are definitely sectors that are booming, mainly in the biomedical field. The "Buffalo Billion" facility in and around the UB Medical campus on Main Street is attratcting world-class attention and there are other advancements that are going to take time, but the development is there.

[superbills]

Corey, one of these links is typical of Buffalo. Big plans, never do anything with them. Bass Pro, the big Adelphia complex, the new Peace Bridge, etc etc etc... Or like what happened to the casino, there was plans for a huge lavish type complex and instead, a shell of what was envisioned came to fruition.

Some of the suburbs are nice, the city itself is a cesspool that's stuck in 1982.

Not sure if the casino lived up to expectations, but from what I hear it's been turned into quite a nice facility.

[BertSquirtgum]

Corey, one of these links is typical of Buffalo. Big plans, never do anything with them. Bass Pro, the big Adelphia complex, the new Peace Bridge, etc etc etc... Or like what happened to the casino, there was plans for a huge lavish type complex and instead, a shell of what was envisioned came to fruition.

Some of the suburbs are nice, the city itself is a cesspool that's stuck in 1982.

That just proves how ignorant you are on the subject. Buffalo is actually undergoing a renaissance. 10 years ago I would never have walked around Lafayette circle at night by myself. Now it looks beautiful and I would enjoy walking around there by myself. Just one example.

[BertSquirtgum]

and I couldn't care less about Buffalo because I live 40 miles away but for someone to call it a cesspool is totally ridiculous. It's slowly getting better.

[Mr. Pink]

and I couldn't care less about Buffalo because I live 40 miles away but for someone to call it a cesspool is totally ridiculous. It's slowly getting better.

Downtown looks basically the same today as it did thirty years ago.

Once the steel industry left, Bethlehem and Republic, the city went to crap. Hell the Bethlehem buildings are still there and mostly vacant. That's progress!

If by slowly you mean at a snails pace, maybe.

There's a train to nowhere that completely ruined almost all business on main street, politicians who drag their feet and make things so difficult for outside companies they decide to just say f it and leave - bass pro, or they drag their feet and 30 years later the NEW peace bridge still hasn't been started. Come 6pm downtown is basically abandoned unless there's a Sabres game or it's bar night on Chippewa. Mostly because there's nothing there, still.

[YardRat]

I'll believe Buffalo, and WNY in general, is on the upswing when overall population and student enrollment stops decreasing.

[better days]

I'll believe Buffalo, and WNY in general, is on the upswing when overall population and student enrollment stops decreasing.

When does the next census come out again?

[YardRat]

When does the next census come out again?

2020 I believe, but you can track student enrollment annually. Look at all of the districts that are closing buildings because enrollment continues to decline.

[better days]

2020 I believe, but you can track student enrollment annually. Look at all of the districts that are closing buildings because enrollment continues to decline.

Student enrollment will continue to decline, unless more illegals move to the US.

People are having less babies, I just read about that.

[DraftBoy]

Student enrollment will continue to decline, unless more illegals move to the US.

People are having less babies, I just read about that.

Yes but you can also compare enrollment decline v. birth rates to see how strong the relationship is there. Simply saying less babies are being born (especially since most won't enter school for four years after birth) is not going to always be a good indicator of why school enrollment is declining.

[stuckincincy]

Explain your reasoning.

Do you live here?

There's this:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140304006738/en/Fitch-Rates-Buffalo-NYs-LTGOs-Outlook-Stable


Nothing unusual about Buffalo - Cincinnati is in the same boat: A long-time one-party government that handed over the treasury to public-sector workers, huge underfunded pension/medical liability for current and retired employees, cultivation of urban minorities who rack up the crime numbers, but pull the voting lever at a 90%+ clip for them year after year, etc.

There's no end of cities that have done same.

I left Bflo in 1978. Visited constantly until 2001, when illness limited my travel. I'm glad to hear about improvements, but I have to remain skeptical...NYS expenditures, the Federal government's skyrocketing deficit, the banks and companies piling up the phony money the US Treasury and the Fed are pumping out and using it buying back their stock instead of lending it out or hiring. Quantitative easing..same crap FDR pulled, with similar results.

[BertSquirtgum]

Downtown looks basically the same today as it did thirty years ago.

Once the steel industry left, Bethlehem and Republic, the city went to crap. Hell the Bethlehem buildings are still there and mostly vacant. That's progress!

If by slowly you mean at a snails pace, maybe.

There's a train to nowhere that completely ruined almost all business on main street, politicians who drag their feet and make things so difficult for outside companies they decide to just say f it and leave - bass pro, or they drag their feet and 30 years later the NEW peace bridge still hasn't been started. Come 6pm downtown is basically abandoned unless there's a Sabres game or it's bar night on Chippewa. Mostly because there's nothing there, still.

All of this nonsense just proves it's been at least 20 years since you've been to downtown Buffalo.

[Mr. Pink]

All of this nonsense just proves it's been at least 20 years since you've been to downtown Buffalo.

Ok enlighten me about the grandiose things to do downtown that people go and do after 6PM.

Besides Chippewa, Sabres games and the Casino.

And of course you can go to Lafayette Circle at night and enjoy walking around it...the keyword being by yourself cuz there's no one else that's gonna be there. :rofl:

As I said the suburbs are nice, downtown is a dump. If you think otherwise you haven't been to any other major cities in your life, or the only other major city you've been to is Detroit.