RIP Ralph Wilson

[Tunescribe]

I know the guy died today, and that this may seem like the story nationally, but it's been well-known inside Buffalo for years that NOT selling the team makes them MORE likely to move.

And this has everything to do with death taxes and keeping as much of the $800m for his family. I know that most people would want to keep hundreds of millions for their families but the fact is, the Bills were a team that were subsidized by the local tax base over the years and much of that franchise value is owed morally (ha, ha) to the people of the region. This is why so many have a distaste for how everything has gone down.

This now goes to lawyers who will auction it off to the highest bidder with absolutely no interference from the family. In this way, he maximized the value for his family. The one saving grace, and I have to hand it to Wilson here, is that he did sign a long lease of about 10 years, so whoever buys the team will buy knowing he can't move it out of Buffalo for a decade, or else he will have to expend an awful lot of money buying himself out of the contract. I suppose you might argue that this drives the price of the team down, but in the end it would have been better if he had sold to one of the 6 local billionaires who are interested. (Their industries: Manhattan real estate, fracking, high tech payroll software, processed foods and goods, Delaware North).

So let me get this straight: the Bills definitely will not remain in Wilson family control and will be sold by auction, vs. the family selling directly to whomever it chooses. Is that the plan?

 

[upstater1]

So let me get this straight: the Bills definitely will not remain in Wilson family control and will be sold by auction, vs. the family selling directly to whomever it chooses. Is that the plan?

That is the plan. That is how things are set up. Executors with a duty to maximize value will be selling t.

 

[Uncle Meat]

So let me get this straight: the Bills definitely will not remain in Wilson family control and will be sold by auction, vs. the family selling directly to whomever it chooses. Is that the plan?

The Wilson family has made it clear that they do not want to retain ownership of the team long-term.

Nobody knows really what the plan is about how the team will be sold, only that it will be...like you say, probably at auction and perhaps to the highest bidder.

For now, the Buffalo Bills franchise will be placed in a trust, and the trust is likely to control and manage the team for at least a couple of years before any sale of the team is arranged, and perhaps beyond that. But the team WILL eventually go up for sale, and that's all we know.

Again, the Bills lease runs to 2022, and $400 million would have to be paid to get out of that deal. There is an out-clause in the lease that would allow the team a one-time option, in 2020, to buy out the final three years of the deal for a payment of only $28.4 million.

 

[Tunescribe]

That is the plan. That is how things are set up. Executors with a duty to maximize value will be selling t.

Thanks for the clarification. So, all it will take is a person or group with enough money to buy out the lease and move the team to L.A. or Toronto. Is this a prospect folks are worried about, or do they feel confident the Bills will remain in Buffalo no matter what?

 

[upstater1]

Thanks for the clarification. So, all it will take is a person or group with enough money to buy out the lease and move the team to L.A. or Toronto. Is this a prospect folks are worried about, or do they feel confident the Bills will remain in Buffalo no matter what?

Folks are worried about it, and many groused that Wilson was maximizing his family's stake in the team by not selling it while he was alive. He absolutely was against transferring the team to the family as well.

The only concession, as I said, is the long lease.

It will be very costly to leave before 10 years.

The big hope would be that Los Angeles is filled prior to that and hopefully not by the Chargers, since San Diego presents a pretty big market. If LA is filled by say Jacksonville or St. Louis, there'd be no point in moving the Bills anywhere. People up here feel Toronto is a no go for the NFL for a variety of reasons.

 

[Tunescribe]

Folks are worried about it, and many groused that Wilson was maximizing his family's stake in the team by not selling it while he was alive. He absolutely was against transferring the team to the family as well.

The only concession, as I said, is the long lease.

It will be very costly to leave before 10 years.

The big hope would be that Los Angeles is filled prior to that and hopefully not by the Chargers, since San Diego presents a pretty big market. If LA is filled by say Jacksonville or St. Louis, there'd be no point in moving the Bills anywhere. People up here feel Toronto is a no go for the NFL for a variety of reasons.

Buffalo is in kind of a tough spot for an NFL franchise. It has its own tradition and dedicated fans, but the economic climate there has been depressed for quite a while and they need a new stadium. Whoever buys the Bills will need to be really creative and hopefully quite rich if they intend to keep it there and breathe new life into the franchise.

Agreed on San Diego. Jaguars or Rams should go to L.A. "Los Angeles Bills" doesn't have a good ring to it.

 

[Gunnails]

RIP. A pioneer and a true hero of the NFL.

 

[Mike the Brit]

RIP Mr Wilson. I know a person who was on the coaching staff during the 4 straight SB appearances. He has nothing but good to say about MR. Wilson.

Someone who worked for you has nothing but good to say about you -- a pretty decent epitaph.

R.I.P.

 

[upstater1]

Buffalo is in kind of a tough spot for an NFL franchise. It has its own tradition and dedicated fans, but the economic climate there has been depressed for quite a while and they need a new stadium. Whoever buys the Bills will need to be really creative and hopefully quite rich if they intend to keep it there and breathe new life into the franchise.

Agreed on San Diego. Jaguars or Rams should go to L.A. "Los Angeles Bills" doesn't have a good ring to it.

The NFL's HQ is in NY. The NY region has two teams, they both pay taxes to the state of New Jersey. When it comes to building a stadium in Buffalo, the state will pay a big portion of it. This doesn't make us in Buffalo too happy because the politicians here are too happy to count the $300 million they'll pony up against the so-called Buffalo billion (seed money for businesses in the Buffalo area). The state basically slashed and gutted departments, mainly education and higher ed., then took that money and promised it to businesses. Each city/region gets a billion. Except for Albany, because Albany already got many billions over the last decade while the total level of investment in Buffalo from the state was $50 million.

We see the writing on the wall. They are going to count the new stadium against our promised investment money, which they cobbled together by firing tons of ordinary folk and cutting salaries in the first place.

Nonetheless, the state of NY has only one team in the NFL, and it's located in Buffalo.

 

[Froob]

Buffalo is in kind of a tough spot for an NFL franchise. It has its own tradition and dedicated fans, but the economic climate there has been depressed for quite a while and they need a new stadium. Whoever buys the Bills will need to be really creative and hopefully quite rich if they intend to keep it there and breathe new life into the franchise.

Agreed on San Diego. Jaguars or Rams should go to L.A. "Los Angeles Bills" doesn't have a good ring to it.

It sucks that the league's goal is to bring a team to LA(and London) and not to try to keep all the teams where they are and use relocation as an absolute last resort.

 

[mmasterkillah]

Ralph was the man.

R.I.P.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Buffalo is a great city and the people are top notch. Tough week for Bills fans. I hope whoever gains control keeps the Bills in Buffalo!

He could have made a killing selling his team to someone who wanted to move it, but he refused and would not let them leave Buffalo. Good guy he will be missed.

Yup - Bills fans know their football. They're old school. There's always the trash talkers but we've had our share of good Bills fans show up here to contribute a legitimate perspective from where they sit

If the NFL has the Bills leave Buffalo it will be a sad day for the NFL on par with allowing the Browns to move to Baltimore.

Let's hope that doesn't happen (though some may accuse us Patsfans of some bias in wanting to keep Buffalo in the division!)

 

[DocHoliday]

Bills are such a classic team and I'd hate to see them go. Love teams from blue collar areas with that blue collar mentality.

Not to mention it'd be a crushing blow to the esteem of a city that already doesn't have much.

 

[italian pat patriot]

riposa in pace Mr Wilson

many thanks for what you have done expecially when you and other 7 founded the AFL

a real pioneer, yes

my condolences to Buffalo and Bills fans

 

[zoostation]

RIP Mr Ralph Wilson.

My condolences to Buffalo Bills fans and the entire western NY region.

And get well soon Jim Kelly! Thoughts and prayers go out to Jim and his family. Can't name too many QB's that had more grit than JK.