Former Sabres Owner Thomas Golisano "indeed plans to bid" on the Bills once the team goes on sale, according to a source cited by John Kryk of QMI AGENCY. This "comes as no surprise" in Western New York. Reports for "more than a month have pegged the billionaire originally from Rochester, N.Y., as a likely, even expected, bidder." The Bills yesterday announced the "hiring of an investment bank and law firm -- Morgan Stanley and Proskauer Rose, respectively -- to oversee the sale." The Bills said that within 30 days, they will "metaphorically hammer the for-sale sign into the lawn" at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The source said that Golisano at that time "not only will bid but will seek immediate NFL pre-approval." Golisano "might bid alone," or he "might bid in partnership with another (and only one other) deep-pocketed Western New York businessman." The source said that in "either event, Golisano will be the lead bidder." Golisano "would keep the team in Buffalo" (QMI AGENCY, 5/21).
THINGS ARE GETTING REAL: In Buffalo, Tim Graham notes Morgan Stanley and Proskauer will "handle the most significant work when it comes to selling the Bills, in particular maximizing the financial return" for late Owner Ralph Wilson Jr.'s estate and "making sure the sale complies with the NFL’s constitution and bylaws." Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon said, "This is a big step. Now everything’s in place." Morgan Stanley and Proskauer will "conduct an audit of the team and assemble a data book for prospective buyers to review." The Bills said that their advisers "will begin contacting prospective buyers within the next 30 days." The firms will "vet candidates and present a recommendation for the trust that has been overseeing the Bills since Wilson’s death in March." Brandon: "We’ll step aside and let them do their thing." A source said that it is "overly ambitious and unlikely the process will conclude in time for a vote at the NFL’s next owners meetings in October" (BUFFALO NEWS, 5/22).
HE SAID WHAT? In Buffalo, Jerry Sullivan notes Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones has "never been popular with Western New York." But Jones "hit Bills fans where it hurt this week at the league meetings in Atlanta, asserting that Toronto would be a good candidate for an NFL team and that the league should always look to be 'growing the pie' and the fan base." Jones also "gushed about rock star Jon Bon Jovi, who has expressed interest in buying the Bills and moving them to Toronto." Bills fans are "in no mood to hear about the virtues of Toronto as an NFL town," but Jones "needs to be taken seriously." He might be "a blowhard, but he’s a force in the NFL." Jones "doesn’t speak for all the NFL owners, but his opinion carries weight" (BUFFALO NEWS, 5/22).
