Goodell Plans To Keep Bills In New York, Wants CFL To Stay Strong

NFL Commissioner Does Not Expect Bills To Bolt From Buffalo Anytime Soon

THE OTHER SIDE: In Winnipeg, Kirk Penton reported CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon is "trying to ensure the CFL is as strong as possible when the NFL finally invades, but he isn't ready to sound the alarm bells." Cohon: "You have to put it in context. It's one regular-season game, it's one pre-season game this year. I don't think it's going to have a profound impact on this league. But anything beyond that, we have to be cautious about that." Penton noted the CFL and NFL have "been without a working agreement since 2006, and when they met to discuss a new deal earlier this year, talks didn't go anywhere." While Cohon said that the Bills' situation "'changed the focus' of those discussions," that is not why an agreement was not reached. Cohon: "There was nothing on the table that we thought would grow or strengthen our league, so we said it's time to back off and just focus on the things that we can control" (WINNIPEG SUN, 6/28). Cohon added, "Everyone has to stop and breathe for a moment and say we're focusing on strengthening our league. It's one game. That's not going to destroy this league" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 6/29).

REAX: A TORONTO STAR editorial stated of the Bills Toronto Series, "If the games are a financial success, there is a good chance the Bills will move here permanently. And if that happens, the [CFL Toronto] Argos and subsequently the CFL would likely die. ... For all those who cherish Canadian football as a part of our heritage, the best way to preserve it is to go to a CFL game" (TORONTO STAR, 6/28). But in Edmonton, John MacKinnon wrote, "It's tough to believe that Goodell yearns to kill off the Bills in Buffalo and install them in Toronto. He wants this on his resume as NFL commissioner? It's not impossible, of course. It's just a thought that doesn't sit easily in the mind" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 6/29).

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