Pegula's First Move: Jeff Littmann Is No Longer CFO of The Buffalo Bills

[BillsImpossible]

"Jeffrey Littmann, who started with the Bills as a treasurer in 1986, became one of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.’s most trusted staff members and eventually worked his way up to the title of Chief Financial Officer, will no longer be a part of the franchise that employed him for nearly 30 years."

http://www.wgr550.com/pages/9034669.php?pid=432544

[BertSquirtgum]

Good. Littman is garbage.

[Skooby]

His termination was part of the contract upfront, he got 1% of the sale as I heard it.

[BillsImpossible]

His termination was part of the contract upfront, he got 1% of the sale as I heard it.

$14 million. I'd retire too.

[Skooby]

$14 million. I'd retire too.

Can't really say his plan but he's been well compensated, regardless of what anyone think of him Ralph trusted him & obviously Ralph was worth trusting. He never let the team go or move away, a fist of iron that's been exhanged. I'd expect some very special gifts to be bestowed via future foundation work. I'd expect several blessings coming to pass, expect holiday time.

[Goobylal]

He and Mary Owen left of their own accord and will be running the Ralph Wilson Foundation. Littman was gone with any new owner in any case.

[swiper]

"Jeffrey Littmann, who started with the Bills as a treasurer in 1986, became one of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.’s most trusted staff members and eventually worked his way up to the title of Chief Financial Officer, will no longer be a part of the franchise that employed him for nearly 30 years."

http://www.wgr550.com/pages/9034669.php?pid=432544

I think this is the first BillsImpossible post I've thanked.

[pmoon6]

Yeeeahh. Great first move.

[DraftBoy]

I'm not sure Pegula had anything to do with this move.

[YardRat]

Pretty sure this was part of the plan all along.

[Fletch]

$14 million. I'd retire too.

Yeah, no ****.

He shoulda paid the fans $14M.

Still, very disturbed that Pegula said that he thought that Brandon was doing a good job. Littman gone, fine, good, but it cannot come close to ending there if there's going to be any real change.

[Fletch]

He and Mary Owen left of their own accord and will be running the Ralph Wilson Foundation. Littman was gone with any new owner in any case.

LOL

She get $14M too?

[RedEyE]

As long as the players and coaches are informed that this was planned by the Wilsons and not a first move to clean house then we should he OK.

If you had asked me yesterday who the Bills CFO was, I wouldn'tbe able to tell you without finding a resource.

[don137]

Any indications who will be negotiating contracts for the Bills?

[WagonCircler]

This was not Pegula's first move. It was Littman's choice.

But I'll guarantee you that stripping Brandon of the title of CEO wasn't Russ' choice.

Brandon has no business being Team President either, but that's a little easier to swallow than CEO.

Unfortunately, it looks like he's going to survive this, but I'm pretty confident that he will end up with ZERO input into football related matters, thankfully.

[Fletch]

This was not Pegula's first move. It was Littman's choice.

But I'll guarantee you that stripping Brandon of the title of CEO wasn't Russ' choice.

Brandon has no business being Team President either, but that's a little easier to swallow than CEO.

Unfortunately, it looks like he's going to survive this, but I'm pretty confident that he will end up with ZERO input into football related matters, thankfully.

I missed the presser and haven't had the interest to go watch a hype filled one after the fact.

Was Brandon stipped of being CEO?

I'm only asking because someone commented that Pegula said that Brandon had done a great job. Doesn't seem as if he'd be fired as CEO if that were believed, at least not without having been given a comparable position.

As to the direction of this team, Whaley said so himself, if Manuel doesn't work out as the QB of the team's future he should be looking for a new job. If he had any integrity he'd resign.

It's the personnel side of things that are going to determine the future of this team. That and its willingness to pay a decent GM, which Whaley is not, clearly, and subsequent to that a head coach.

All of this emotionalism over us being 3-2 is in every likelihood going to fade quickly and when it does hopefully the Marrone apologists will quit talking about what a good coach he is. Good coaches don't hire OCs like Hackett who are way out of their league in the NFL.

[DynaPaul]

Unfortunately, it looks like he's going to survive this, but I'm pretty confident that he will end up with ZERO input into football related matters, thankfully.

You have to admit, he's been a master at selling crap for 14 years. Yeah, strip him of any football input and make him purely the marketing guy because that's the only talent he has.

[better days]

I missed the presser and haven't had the interest to go watch a hype filled one after the fact.

Was Brandon stipped of being CEO?

I'm only asking because someone commented that Pegula said that Brandon had done a great job. Doesn't seem as if he'd be fired as CEO if that were believed, at least not without having been given a comparable position.

As to the direction of this team, Whaley said so himself, if Manuel doesn't work out as the QB of the team's future he should be looking for a new job. If he had any integrity he'd resign.

It's the personnel side of things that are going to determine the future of this team. That and its willingness to pay a decent GM, which Whaley is not, clearly, and subsequent to that a head coach.

All of this emotionalism over us being 3-2 is in every likelihood going to fade quickly and when it does hopefully the Marrone apologists will quit talking about what a good coach he is. Good coaches don't hire OCs like Hackett who are way out of their league in the NFL.

Yes, Brandon was stripped of the CEO title, but he remains as president.

I have said for a long time, Brandon is a very good marketing man.

Terry Pegula now is the CEO of the Bills.

[Goobylal]

LOL

She get $14M too?
I'm sure at least.

And according to Tim Graham, Pegs took CEO away from Brandon and gave it to himself. Russ is just President now, which Ralph considered the higher title. I'm sure he'll just be involved with marketing now.

[Typ0]

Brandon has done a great job on the business side and there is no reason to move him along really. I don't think the hatred for him is fair he was in a bad situation too with RW aging and having certain business related concerns on how the team was run.

[DetDannyWilliams]

If you want to know what a president of a sports team does just ask Sabres President Ted Black

[POTLAND PSILBYLO]

Muktar al-Portlandi for da CEO of da Billss

[Mr. Pink]

Yeah, no ****.

He shoulda paid the fans $14M.

Still, very disturbed that Pegula said that he thought that Brandon was doing a good job. Littman gone, fine, good, but it cannot come close to ending there if there's going to be any real change.

Brandon is doing a good job and has been for years.

He has sold the people of Buffalo an inferior product for a decade and they keep buying it.

Great salesman.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Brandon is doing a good job and has been for years.

He has sold the people of Buffalo an inferior product for a decade and they keep buying it.

Great salesman.

and as such, he'll be great President of Marketing.

[WagonCircler]

Brandon is doing a good job and has been for years.

He has sold the people of Buffalo an inferior product for a decade and they keep buying it.

Great salesman.

Selling Bills football to Buffalo people is like selling us pizza and wings. Really not that difficult.

And the whole "But he expanded the market to Canada" is horsecrap.

Brandon is the most overrated member of the Bills' organization ever. Even more than Trent Edwards or EJ Manual.

[DraftBoy]

I read somewhere that Wilson considered Team President to be more a more important position than CEO. Wonder if Pegula will view it the same way. Wouldn't surprise me to see Brandon mirror what Rick McKay does for Atlanta which does involve some Football Operations input.

[YardRat]

Don't think anybody expected Brandon to keep the keys to the kingdom once Pegs officially owned the team, that would be ludicrous.

I'm actually not a big fan of Brandon's public persona, he comes off as a smarmy photo-whore with a touch of Tom 'I'm smarter than you' Donahoe. I could do without the photos with Mary and the game ball, the pics of him side-by-side with Whaley in the war room, the cameo in Draft Day, etc...just do the job and leave the limelight to the GM, coaching staff and players.

That being said, I don't let that color the perception that he's done a pretty good job over the years for the organization, with the notable exception of his stint as GM, and conclude that he needs to be kicked to the curb. Like it or not, Brandon probably has earned a lot of respect around the league, especially in the last year and a half. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if he steps down at the end of this season and takes a position in the league office...he strikes me as the type of person that could have Commissioner on his resume sometime in the future.

[BuffaloRedleg]

It was part of the plan yes, but that might be because Pegula wants to put better people in charge of the organization. I'm sure it was designed to make sure he was compensated for his years of "service".

It's a good start, next step is moving Brandon back to the business side of the game and having nothing to do with personnel etc.

[Mace]

I'm not real sure why anyone is surprised about Littman, he was a major accountant for Wilson's business org. Pegula has his own accountants he trusts. Littman wasn't going to stay, it's not his company anymore, the rest is semantics.

"Driving Dad's Car in big boy clothes" Brandon might have a business purpose in marketing, and frankly PR from the press conference if he can keep himself from gladhanding face time. It was telling that his mug was front and center in the last Mary Wilson pic, but shoulders slumped and accessory in the Pegula's pic I saw.

[Goobylal]

I'm not real sure why anyone is surprised about Littman, he was a major accountant for Wilson's business org. Pegula has his own accountants he trusts. Littman wasn't going to stay, it's not his company anymore, the rest is semantics.

"Driving Dad's Car in big boy clothes" Brandon might have a business purpose in marketing, and frankly PR from the press conference if he can keep himself from gladhanding face time. It was telling that his mug was front and center in the last Mary Wilson pic, but shoulders slumped and accessory in the Pegula's pic I saw.
Yep. I doubt any of the financial or legal people, i.e. non-football people, are sticking around.

[coastal]

I read somewhere that Wilson considered Team President to be more a more important position than CEO. Wonder if Pegula will view it the same way. Wouldn't surprise me to see Brandon mirror what Rick McKay does for Atlanta which does involve some Football Operations input.
What would give you any indication that Russ Brandon will have any say in football related matters?

Whaley reports directly to Kim now.

Mithers isn't a dotted line to Brandon being reported.