Donald Trump and Jon Bon Jovi were outbid
Yes, that headline is correct. Terry Pegula dug deeper in his pockets than THE Donald Trump as well as Jon Bon Jovi’s group to purchase the Buffalo Bills this afternoon. The Oil and Gas mogul dished out $1.4B for the team, equaling the highest price paid for a NFL team and even higher than the original $1.2B reported that left competitive bidders in the loss column. Although not a household name, Pegula is no stranger to the sports world as he already owns the city’s hockey team, Buffalo Sabres.
The #Bills were sold to the Pegula family for a price of approximately $1.4 billion, 2 sources say. That’s a record for an @NFL team.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2014
The NFL is scheduled to finalize the agreement October 8th but Pegula wasted no time showing great class following the announcement. He quickly took a moment to speak on the acquisition and honored the Bills late great owner Ralph Wilson via the Buffalo Bills website:
“Kim and I are humbled and honored that the Wilson family has chosen us to be the second owner of the Buffalo Bills. Pending the NFL approval process, being the next owner of the Buffalo Bills would be a great privilege for our family. Ralph Wilson left an indelible mark on our community and we will strive every day to honor his legacy. We now look ahead to the NFL review process in accordance with League policy. If awarded final approval, we will be driven to achieve a singular goal: To win a Super Bowl for our fans.”
The Bills have some great talent on the team especially on offense with EJ Manuel under center, an explosive young receiver core in Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin plus the elusive CJ Spiller in the backfield. Their 2014 campaign is already off to a solid start edging the Chicago Bears Week 1 in OT 23-20 largely in part to a monster run by Fred Jackson.
Also, special shout out to Hall of Fame Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly for reportedly being cancer free! Somebody cue the Lupe music.