The Buffalo Bills announced on Wednesday that they’ve had a split with New Era Cap Company and the two sides are jointly cutting ties in regard to the naming rights of the team’s stadium in Orchard Park.
The Bills released a statement on the issue:
“The Buffalo Bills and New Era Cap Company jointly announce that New Era has asked to be released from their naming rights and sponsorship deals with the Bills. The Bills and New Era are currently negotiating the details of this separation and the Bills are beginning the process of pursuing a new naming rights partner for the stadium.”
Previously the stadium was named Ralph Wilson Stadium after the club’s initial owner, Ralph Wilson Jr. That name held the rights to the home of the Bills from 1998 until 2015. Because of this, many in Bills Mafia still referred to the venue as “The Ralph.” Prior to Ralph Wilson Stadium, Rich Products owned the naming right for the facility for a period of 25 years until 1998, leading to the first name of the facility: Rich Stadium.
New Era Cap bought the naming rights to the approximately 71K seat stadium via a seven-year deal worth near $30 million in August 2016. The team has not yet announced the next name for the stadium.
New Era bases their headquarters in downtown Buffalo. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, laid off 187 employees, 117 of whom worked at its Buffalo location. New Era received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan of between $5 million and $10 million during the pandemic as well.
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