Over this past summer the Buffalo Bills, Erie County and New York State have entered into negotiations to extend the current lease on Ralph Wilson Stadium. However, things have not gone well, so in the mean time it has been announced that the current lease will be extended by one year.
On Wednesday in a press conference Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that he and the Bills have agreed to extend the lease by one year. The reason for this is that a deal hasn’t been struck yet and the deadline to get an approval for an assistance loan on the agenda for a conference that is coming up.
So, what is the problem? Bills CEO Russ Brandon has stated that negotiations have stalled due to the fact that all three parties haven’t met since July. However, in a statement released by Lt. Governor Robert Duffy, the problem appears to be something else.
“Keeping the Bills in Buffalo is critically important to the state and the region. And this administration is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that the Bills remain in western New York,” Duffy said. “If taxpayers are going to be asked for substantial financial support for stadium improvements, they must be assured of a long term commitment by the Bills to stay in Buffalo regardless of future ownership.”
In other words, the Bills haven’t been willing to agree to measures to ensure the team stays, such as a substantial fine for breaking the lease, without something in return.
Also there is the fact that Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. is 93 years old and his health is declining. That means there is a very good possibility that ownership will change hands, as Wilson has stated publicly that the team will go to the highest bidder upon his death.
With the cold and flu season coming up shortly, Poloncarz is taking a huge risk that Wilson will make it through the season. The reason is February 15th, 2013 is the deadline for teams to inform the NFL that they are relocating for the 2013 season.
That means if Wilson were to pass before then a businessman like Ed Roski could easily swoop in and put a massive bid in for the Bills and then announce his intentions to move the team without any resistance.
In the end, the ball is in Erie County and New York State’s court. The Bills know that there is a high demand for National Football League teams and that other governments will be willing to fully finance a new stadium or have just built one, which means Brandon is going to budge little if at all.
