As the talks begin for the Buffalo Bills new stadium, it seems there is a disconnect on funding.
Earlier this year, rumors began to swirl that the Buffalo Bills could be getting a new stadium, or at least in some form. Kim and Terry Pegula, the owners of the Bills and Buffalo Sabres, had a Dodgeball moment when they asked the state of New York and Erie County officials about funding for the new stadium.
With a projected cost of $1.1 Billion, they are asking for complete public funding for the Bills stadium. There are also renovations to the Buffalo Sabres arena that brings the total to $1.5 Billion. This is that moment I mentioned earlier, as in “It’s a bold strategy Cotton, Let’s see if it pays off for them!”.
That in itself is quite the statement and It doesn’t stop there, however. According to the Buffalo News, that the Pegula’s have unofficially said that other cities in the NFL would be willing to pay whatever it takes to land an NFL team.
"The team has made no overt threats, sources say, to leave Buffalo if it doesn’t get the full funding request, but it has made clear to government negotiators that there are other cities elsewhere that desire an NFL franchise and would pay handsomely for it.’"
With the Bills being the only actual team that resides and plays in the state of New York, it would be a huge loss if the Bills left town. With a fanbase as diehard and loyal as the Bills, this shouldn’t even be a threat.
Any good intentions the Pegula’s are basically gone by now. This is just as ridiculous as asking someone to pay your loan, bills, etc. With the extra money going to the Sabres who haven’t really done anything since 2006 and 2009, why should the renovations be included in the total that the public pays for?
It’s definitely something to watch going forward. The NFL doesn’t have teams move all that much, and anytime a possible relocation happens there is always more than meets the eye.