In response to the stated intentions of the folks at Majestic Realty Co. to initially target the Bills and the Jaguars for relocation to Los Angeles, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) contacted team owner Ralph Wilson for an assurance that the team isn’t moving.
And Schumer got one.
“The Bills are part of the very fabric of Western New York, and in Western New York they will stay,” Schumer said, per WIVB-TV. “Ralph Wilson is committed to Western New York, has had no contact with any purported suitors, and flatly told me that the Bills are staying in Buffalo. Period. I have long fought to keep the team here, and will continue to do so with every bit of clout I have. I was tremendously reassured to learn today, directly from Ralph, that there has been zero contact with this company and that there is absolutely no consideration of entertaining any of this company’s potential future offers. Buffalo Bills fans can rest a little bit easier tonight.”
(Schumer also said that Wilson added, “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.”)
But the issue isn’t whether the Bills will leave during Wilson’s tenure as owner of the team -- it’s whether the Bills will move on to greener pastures (actual or perceived) after Wilson, who has owned the team since its inception, passes.
Though there have been recent suggestions that a succession plan is in place, conventional wisdom has been that the Wilson family will not keep the team.
Then again, conventional wisdom had been that Eric Mangini would not keep his job.