Buffalo Bills fans are both excited and worried. Conflicting reports have their emotions fluctuating, as it was originally believed that Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula was likely to win the bid to own the team, but a new story this morning may suggest otherwise.
On Wednesday night, Tim Graham of the Buffalo News tweeted that a source close to the sale of the Buffalo Bills said the team is Terry Pegula's to lose. Pegula is also the owner of the Buffalo Sabres, so the news excited many Bills fans who hope to keep the team in the city. Pegula also recently freed up $1.75 billion after selling mineral leases in Ohio and West Virginia, further suggesting the imminent purchase of the team.
However, the Associated Press broke a story this morning that said the Buffalo Fan Alliance discovered documents that found a Toronto-based prospective ownership group hopes to acquire the NFL team and relocate the Bills to Toronto. According to the documents, Roger Rai is part of an ownership group that includes Jon Bon Jovi and Larry Tanenbaum (the chairman of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment) and they attended a presentation on Tuesday during which 'Buffalo Bills officials provided extensive financial and background information on the franchise', AP says. Rai told the AP on Wednesday that he was not involved in the group's bid.
Bills fans are now worried because the formal bids for the NFL team will be submitted within three weeks. Those who expect to bid include Terry Pegula, Donald Trump, and Bon Jovi (along with Rai and Tanenbaum). On August 3, Bon Jovi had a letter published by the Buffalo News that assured Bills fans his ownership group's objective is "to make the Bills successful in Buffalo," as you can read in this Buffalo News article.
Buffalo's distrust of Bon Jovi was warranted all along now that the release of these documents was verified and he's been associated with an ownership group that is looking to relocate the franchise. However, despite the bad news the leaked documents may suggest, it was reported earlier this morning that Bon Jovi's ownership group appeared 'unfocused and disorganized' in their efforts to purchase the Bills. If Pegula remains the front-runner to win the bid, Buffalo fans should have nothing to worry about.
You can read more about the leaked documents in this Buffalo News article.
