More on the Spikes seating.....

[Mace]

Guess they've done that to others, including Levy.

Geez.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/beef-with-takeo-spikes-is-part-of-bigger-bills-alumni-issue

[DraftBoy]

That’s so weird.

[Historian]

OTOH....These guys have been getting freebees for so long, they forget that they now live in the real world.

Grow up.

[Goobylal]

So it's not unique to Takeo and no one else complained publicly. I hope they fix it but Spikes, who isn't even close to a legend like Marv or Bruce, should have handled it better.

[Mace]

OTOH....These guys have been getting freebees for so long, they forget that they now live in the real world.

Grow up.

Not too sure Marv Levy has any room left to grow up though.

[Woodman]

Let me know when they have a Tom Sestak or Cookie Gilchrist day until then meh.

[YardRat]

Really don't understand why they aren't in a better box.

[Novacane]

Not too sure Marv Levy has any room left to grow up though.

Marv probably didn't even realize the view was obstructed.

[Buffalogic]

Spikes was offered two different alternatives, “but he refused, with one of the sources saying Spikes seemed intent on taking the issue public.”.

What a *****

[Woodman]

What is Fred Smerlas doing these days?

Did we ever give him a legend of the game day?

[Jeff1220]

What is Fred Smerlas doing these days?

Did we ever give him a legend of the game day?

He's a big Pats fan. His legacy is tainted to me.

[Woodman]

He's a big Pats fan. His legacy is tainted to me.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D22pE_9LAxg?si=WxSD08AQCyjU7ZW4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>


He gave us 10 pretty good years but ...............

[notacon]

Guess they've done that to others, including Levy.

Geez.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/beef-with-takeo-spikes-is-part-of-bigger-bills-alumni-issue


So it's not unique to Takeo and no one else complained publicly. I hope they fix it but Spikes, who isn't even close to a legend like Marv or Bruce, should have handled it better.


Marv probably didn't even realize the view was obstructed.

The Athletic’s Tim Graham (as usual, they are one of the best sports media outlets today…well worth the subscription) published a lengthy story about the issues between the Bills and their alumni.

The suite’s “obstructed view” is not as bad as Spikes picture promotes as the suite is quite large and if he moved to his left the view was much better.

He published that picture to bring attention to the perceived sad state of how Bills alumni are treated, and have been treated for quite some time.

The idea that “So it's not unique to Takeo and no one else complained publicly” is technically correct but the reason that “no one else complained publicly” is because “Most are reluctant to speak because they rely on their connections with the team for business purposes or to make their monthly ends meet.”.

This has been a simmering issue with many Bills alumni, and it is suggested that the upheaval in the Bills business side of the organization as the article highlights…

“Since president Russ Brandon resigned in 2018, the Bills have plowed through eight executive vice presidents. Terry Pegula fired COO Ron Raccuia in July and a month later shuttered the Pegula Sports and Entertainment umbrella (https://theathletic.com/4812994/2023/08/28/terry-pegula-dissolves-pse-sabres-bills/) company.”

Brandon Beane has pled ignorance to the extent of the treatment.

Here are some pertinent sections of the article. It deserves to be read in full, and TOS prevents too much direct quotes….

Why the Bills must patch alumni relations after ‘embarrassing’ Takeo Spikes (https://theathletic.com/4903541/2023/09/27/bills-takeo-spikes-reaction-alumni-relations/)



“I was disappointed that he was disappointed,” Bills (https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/bills/) general manager Brandon Beane said. “There are some things we can do better to the point where Takeo didn’t feel like he needed to put that message out there.”

There is more to Spikes’ photo. Fewer than half of the NFL (https://theathletic.com/nfl/) teams offer their alumni any suite at all. Former players and fans who’ve watched from the large suite say the image would have looked starkly different had Spikes moved a few feet to his left. Three Bills sources with direct knowledge of the situation say Spikes also was given two seating remedies, but he refused, with one of the sources saying Spikes seemed intent on taking the issue public.

Why would that be the case? Because in many ways Spikes is the perfect conduit to send a message on behalf of Bills alumni who feel the organization has pushed them aside.

“Marv Levy and I — along with several other legends — have had those same seats that Takeo had, and it’s embarrassing,” all-time sacks leader Bruce Smith said. He declined further comment.

….snip….

The enclosed area features theater seating but is not private. Those who have been inside guessed it holds around 300 fans, perhaps not the best environment for an easily recognizable celebrity, 97 years old at the time, to watch a Bills game in peace.

Other prominent former Bills — Hall of Famers, Wall of Famers, Pro Bowlers and captains among them — are upset over their perceived lack of respect from a front office that, at best, has allowed alumni relations to erode and, at worst, insisted upon it. Most are reluctant to speak because they rely on their connections with the team for business purposes or to make their monthly ends meet.

Spikes isn’t one of those. He played only four of his 15 NFL seasons for Buffalo and doesn’t return to Western New York often. Spotrac, a site that tracks sports contracts, shows Spikes earned $46.6 million to play, nearly half of that from the Bills.

“He painted a far worse picture to prove a point,” said a former Bills executive who has been in the suite with alumni. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he still interacts with alumni. “Those guys all talk. This had been festering for a while, and he took the opportunity.
“That’s not to say the Bills can’t do better, but there’s a lot of good being done there too.”

…snip…

“There are some things I was unaware of,” Beane said. “We have had some transitions in leadership on the business side. I think it pointed out some flaws, some holes in the system that we’ve got to get shored up on our end. Everybody is on board with doing that. We’ve had multiple meetings to address it and address it fast.”

Going back to Ralph Wilson’s ownership, there has been an undercurrent of wariness over some alumni, particularly the more vocal Super Bowl guys. They used to enjoy locker room and pregame sideline access, but aren’t allowed there without special permission anymore.
That’s why a few Bills alums were frustrated to see hockey players Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly, who skate for the Sabres’ archrival Toronto Maple Leafs, posing for sideline photos before the Raiders game (https://x.com/HKYCollective/status/1703804403759587360?s=20). Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and his family were given pregame sideline passes for the Bills’ playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals (https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/bengals/).

“Sometimes these guys overstep,” the former Bills executive said. “There are a lot of guys from the 1990s who still want to be a part of the organization. They want their respect. They see what other teams do, and some go over the top. I think the Bills are somewhat in the middle.”
The Bills are one of 15 teams that offer an alumni suite, according to the NFL Legends Community office. The Bills and Green Bay Packers (https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/packers/) are the only clubs who are in a small market and play in an older stadium. Las Vegas is the next-smallest market with an alumni suite, but its two-year-old Allegiant Stadium is hosting Super Bowl 55. The smallest market after that is Miami.

[Forward_Lateral]

Spikes is a douche whistle