Bills owner won't make promises to stay in Buffalo
 

Ralph Wilson Meets with Governor Pataki

Buffalobills.com
04/04/2006 3:21 PM


Orchard Park, NY--Buffalo Bills President and Owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. met Monday with Governor George Pataki in Albany, New York.

The purpose of the meeting was to explain to the Governor the future competitive and financial challenges presented to the NFL's smaller markets. The high cost of the new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players represents a substantial burden to small market teams. The system produces an equal allocation of player costs with an unequal allocation of the revenues that give rise to those costs. This does not ensure a level playing field for small market teams. The Buffalo Bills are the only NFL team which plays its home games in New York State.

Wilson told the Governor that "While I am committed to Western New York, the long term viability of our franchise may be in serious doubt."

Wilson added "I have 46 years of my life invested in this franchise and in Western New York. There are those who don't care about us, our passionate fans or our hard working taxpayers. Well, I do! I am not going to sugar coat this and I am not going down without a fight. The people who have supported us for these 46 years deserve more than that."

Governor Pataki, an avid football fan who attended Super Bowl XL in Wilson's home city of Detroit, was aware of and concerned about the recent developments.

Governor Pataki stated, "The secure future of the Buffalo Bills in Western New York is of vital interest to me and the people of New York State. While the issues raised by Mr. Wilson are not unique to the Buffalo Bills, the future of that franchise is of primary concern to me. I have communicated my concerns to Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and will continue to advocate on behalf of the Buffalo Bills."

Interesting, coming from a guy who doesn't understand the CBA, and was incomprehensible during the press conference announcing Marv Levy as GM.

This article(below) makes the situation sound alot more critical. Arrowhead passes the revamp and other owners start pleading their cases, too. It's a domino effect.

Bills owner Wilson questions NFL's new-guard ownersAssociated Press


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bills owner Ralph Wilson is questioning whether the NFL's high-revenue owners have the best interest of the league at heart, stepping up concerns that small-market franchises like his face an uncertain future under the new labor agreement.

"I just don't think they're as interested in the game as the old owners, I really don't," Wilson said Friday.

Singling out Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, Daniel Snyder of the Washington Redskins and Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, Wilson said: "They, to me, and this is just my opinion, don't have the same values about the league as the old guard did."

The Bills' sole owner since founding the team in 1960, Wilson also suggested the league's wealthier owners played too big a role when the league extended its collective bargaining agreement last month. The Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals cast the only votes against the agreement.

Wilson spoke after meeting with Erie County executive Joel Giambra, who implored Bills fans "to get active, to get angry" and write to Tagliabue, the league and elected officials on the team's behalf.

He first raised his concerns earlier this week in a meeting with New York Gov. George Pataki. Wilson told Pataki that he's committed to keep the Bills in Buffalo, but, "the long-term viability of our franchise may be in serious doubt."

The series of meetings were an attempt by Wilson to explain his concerns and generate political pressure on the NFL to ensure the viability of small-market teams.

Wilson, long one of the NFL's most outspoken owners, believes the new labor deal establishes an unequal playing field between large- and small-market teams because it produces an equal allocation of player costs with an unequal allocation of revenues.

While reiterating he has no intention to move or sell the team, Wilson said he's not sure how long the Bills can survive under the new deal.

"How long can it stay here? I don't know," Wilson said. "But I can tell you we're going to fight very, very hard to keep the team here to try to be competitive with the rest of the league."

Under the new deal, Wilson said it wouldn't make much difference whether the Bills built a new stadium because the team would unlikely be able to generate much more revenue in an economically troubled region such as western New York.

Wilson's concerns have been noted by the league, which is still determining how the newly expanded portion of revenue sharing will work.

"That has not been fleshed out yet," Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian told The Associated Press while visiting Buffalo this week. "The future is uncharted at this point, but having said that, we've always found a way to make it work and hopefully we will in the future."

Polian is a former Bills executive and member of the NFL's competition committee.

Bills cornerback Troy Vincent, president of the NFL Players Association, shares Wilson's concerns, but noted it's up to the owners to make revenue-sharing work.

"There has to be something in place," Vincent said. "But what we may think is enough or not enough, likewise the men and women running those organizations may say it's enough or not enough. ... Where's that happy balance?"

Any question of the Bills future sparks significant concerns in Buffalo and western New York, a rust-belt region with a fragile economy. Losing the Bills would be a major blow to the region's economy and psyche.

"The Bills are a very integral part of this community's fabric, socially, emotionally and economically," Giambra said.

Giambra added he was rooting for Roger Goodell, the NFL's chief operating officer and a western New York native, to succeed commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

"He is a person who understands football and he understands the importance of football to small markets like Buffalo and western New York," Giambra said.

In 1999, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership estimated the team's annual net economic impact to the region at $33 million.

Hell would you?? I wouldn't. Buffalo is a HOLE!!

L.A. Bills? ROFL

I'm just damn glad that it's not the Chiefs.

Hello Toronto.

I remember when the first sportswriter asked OJ what he thought about being drafted by Buffalo. OJ didn't even answer, just turned and walked away.

Although I understand some of his concerns, I think some of the old guard is out of touch with todays economic world. You can't just throw a couple grand at someone and have them dance with joy. It takes many, many millions of dollars nowadays. If the local economy is not able to support the team (which seems like a lot of the argument here) then maybe the area shouldn't have the team. :shrug:

The LA Bills playing in the AFC East. That would be a geographical nightmare

Kudos to the voters of Jackson County for locking the Chiefs into Arrowhead for the next 25 years. Now we don't have to sweat the Chiefs leaving.

Some where cntrygrl is getting pissed.

Buffalo built his Killer instinct.

Nah... She's a closet Chiefs fan.

It's easy to say that when you live halfaway across the country. Buffalo is an original 8 team and one of the traditional teams of the NFL. I'm sure everyone here knows the Chiefs would be in this exact same situation had the renovation tax failed.

In the end I assume the Bills will get what they want simply because they are the only in state team NY has left. I doubt they'd want to see them leave too and not have any in state teams.