Tag: Terry Pegula

Report: Pegula family exploring selling minority-stake ownership of the Bills

Report: Pegula family exploring selling minority-stake ownership of the #Bills:

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula is reportedly looking to sell a minority stake in the team.

According to The Athletic, the Pegulas could end up selling up to 25 percent of the club and the Bills have since gone on to confirm the report:

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The team released a statement, saying the following:

“The Pegula family has retained Allen & Company to explore the potential sale of a non-controlling, minority interest in the Bills,’ the team said Friday in a statement. ‘These discussions only involve the Bills and no other team. No investment would be possible without Terry Pegula and the Pegula family maintaining a controlling interest in the team. Their continued commitment to Western New York, the new Highmark Stadium, our fans and the other teams in their portfolio remains unchanged.’

‘Neither the team nor the Pegula family are able to comment further at this point.’

In any sale, the Pegulas would still maintain a controlling interest in the club. The exact percentage that could be sold is not yet set in stone.

According to Forbes, the estimated value of the Bills is $3.7 billion.

Bills Wire will provide future updates as information is made available.

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Pete Guelli named new COO for Bills (and Sabres)

Pete Guelli named new COO for #Bills (and #Sabres):

Pete Guelli has been named the new chief operating officer of the Buffalo Bills… and, for those curious, the COO of the Buffalo Sabres as well.

Guelli, 59, previously worked from 1998 to 2009 as President of Business ventures for the Bills and is a Rochester native. In addition, he has held roles with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and NFL’s New York Giants.

Guelli will oversee the business operations for the Bills and Sabres. General manager Brandon Beane will still be in charge of football operations.

According to a new release, Josh Dziurlikowski, who was serving as the interim COO of the Bills, was named senior vice president of finance and business operations of the Bills.

Team owner Terry Pegula released this statement on the Guelli hire:

“I’d first like to thank Josh and Rob (Minter–Buffalo Sabres) for their outstanding work and leadership as interim COO’s. It was a challenging transition and period for each of them and we are fortunate to be able to retain them in other leadership roles within each organization.”

“It was hard not to be impressed with the experience and overall business acumen of Pete Guelli. The New York market is the largest in our country and highly competitive and he did an outstanding job on all levels of their business operation.

“His work in helping turn around the Charlotte Hornets franchise in the NBA was remarkable. He is a proven leader with tremendous skills and experience in the sports business landscape. With the upcoming changes on the way in both team’s venues, we are happy to have Pete to help lead our teams.”

Guelli replaces John Roth as COO, who was fired in October 2023.

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How did the Bills grade out in the NFLPA player survey?

How did the #Bills grade out in the NFLPA player survey?

The NFL Players Association released their second annual Player Team Report Card.

The process involves players submitting their grades on several factors relating to teams. It’s all done anonymously.

Overall, the Buffalo Bills ranked 11th. Last year, the Bills were in ninth.

A total of 1,706 NFL players participated in the survey.

Overall, the top-five teams were the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars. The bottom five were the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders.

Per the NFLPA, players noted Buffalo struggled in team travel, lack of training staff and dietitian/nutrition.

Here’s how the Bills fared, grade-by-grade, during the 2024 player survey:

Report: Bills fire newly hired COO John Roth, SVP Kathryn D’Angelo

#Bills fire newly hired COO John Roth, SVP Kathryn D’Angelo:

Buffalo Bills team owner Terry Pegula, who also owns the area’s professional hockey team in the NHL the Buffalo Sabres, has fired chief operating officer John Roth and senior vice president Kathryn D’Angelo. They both held positions relating to the two teams.

The pair were let go only months after they were appointed to their positions in a shakeup of the front offices.

The Athletic reported that the reasoning for the firing was romantic relationship between Roth and D’Angelo which was deemed professionally unethical.

According to the Buffalo News, Josh Dziurlikowski, a person also promoted a few months ago, was named interim COO. Longtime Bills executive Jim Overdorf will serve as the interim legal counsel.

Both outlets noted that replacements will be searched for from outside the organization.

Bills Wire will provide future updates when information is made available.

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Bills’ Sean McDermott defends Terry Pegula in wake of racial accusations in lawsuit

What Sean McDermott said about Terry Pegula in wake of racial accusations in lawsuit:

Bills head coach Sean McDermott is often the mouth of the organization.

Even in the face of a racial lawsuit sent to the NFL which named team owner Terry Pegula.

Former NFL Media reporter Jim Trotter filed the lawsuit which stated Pegula said Black players should “go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” The Bills owner was said to have made the remark in a critical manner when discussing past and potentially future player protests conducted to shed light on racial and social injustices.

The lawsuit was revealed on Tuesday. Pegula released a statement denying the accusation.

One day later, McDermott was the first person in the Bills organization to go to the podium for a press conference and he was asked about it right away.

The coach defended the team owner, saying that comments in the lawsuit are not representative of “the man I know.”

McDermott’s full comments can be found in the Bills Live clip below:

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Lawsuit accuses Bills owner Terry Pegula of making racist comment, which he denies

Lawsuit accuses #Bills owner Terry Pegula of making racist comment, which he denies:

A discrimination lawsuit filed against the NFL has named Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula in it and he is accused of making racially charged comments toward Black players in the league.

Former NFL Media reporter Jim Trotter filed the lawsuit which stated Pegula said Black players should “go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” The Bills owner was said to have made the remark in a critical manner when discussing past and potentially future player protests conducted to shed light on racial and social injustices.

Trotter is claiming in his lawsuit that he was terminated from his position at NFL Media after speaking out on the need to improve diversity and inclusion within the league. He is now currently employed by The Athletic.

In response to being named in the allegation, Pegula released this statement via the Bills, denying it:

According to the Buffalo News, Trotter was citing comments Pegula made in September 2020 during a companywide Zoom call. The BN reports that Pegula’s comment was “thoroughly investigated” prior to the lawsuit naming Pegula.

The Buffalo News goes on to note:

The investigation took place shortly after the comment was brought to the league’s attention, and no one else from the dinner recalled the statement being made, according to this source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The NFL has denied Trotter’s claim regarding his firing, calling it a “business decision.”

This is a developing news story. Bills Wire will provide updates as information is made available.

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Bills owner Terry Pegula dissolves Pegula Sports and Entertainment

More changes:

The shakeups in the front offices of the professional sports teams in the City of Buffalo have continued as Pegula Sports and Entertainment no longer exists.

On Monday, Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula, who also owns the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres, named himself the president of the hockey club. In doing so, PSE has ceased to exist.

Previously, the two teams were linked under the PSE umbrella. According to a new release, the two will now act as separate entities for the first time since 2014.

“We are thankful for the work and effort so many individuals have put into PSE over the years, but feel it is the right time for them to return home to separate organizations,” Pegula said in a statement. “We feel that now is the right time to dissolve PSE and allow everyone to focus solely on their respective organization. It is a great time to be a Buffalo sports fan and we have a tremendous amount of confidence that this restructuring will allow our businesses to continue to elevate with our teams.”

In July, Pegula made a similar change with the Bills. Pegula is also the team president of the National Football League club as the team and former Bills president Ron Raccuia announced the two sides “parted ways” at that time.

Terry Pegula co-owns both teams with his wife, Kim.

Kim Pegula went through an “unexpected health issue” in June 2022. It was later revealed to be cardiac arrest which she continues to recover from. In July, she had made appearances at Bills training camp for the first time.

In recent months with Kim Pegula stepping away from the day-to-day operations of both teams to focus on her health, Terry Pegula has appeared to become more involved with both, leading to these changes in organizational structure.

Bills Wire will provide further updates as information made is available.

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Sportico values Buffalo Bills at $4.13 billion

#Bills valuation is $4.13 billion per Sportico:

The Buffalo Bills have seen an increase in their value but still remain one of the smaller-market clubs in the NFL.

According to Sportico, the Bills’ valuation sits at $4.13 billion. That is a 38 percent increase from the year prior ($2.99 billion).

Buffalo’s increase in value did not correspond to a higher ranking on the overall NFL team list. The Bills moved to No. 29 last year and remain there this year, ahead of the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals. The Lions passed the Jaguars in 2023.

Meanwhile the teams immediately ahead of Buffalo include the New Orleans Saints (No. 26), Arizona Cardinals (No. 27) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 28). The Bucs saw the most movement of any team in the entire NFL, dropping four places.

Sportico describes their valuation process as “the sum of the enterprise value of an NFL franchise combined with the value of team-related businesses and real estate holdings.”

Overall, the Bills’ revenue rose to $516 million, which is 27th in the league. That was up from $475 million last year, which was 29th.

Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the Bills for $1.4 billion in 2014. In the past, the Bills had been deemed the NFL’s least valuable franchise, specifically so by Forbes in 2021. The team’s net worth has continued to climb since the team’s success increased on the field, and undoubtedly the construction of their new stadium is factoring in massively.

The Dallas Cowboys remain the franchise with the highest valuation on the Sportico list at $9.2 billion.

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Former Bills executive Ron Raccuia releases statement after departure

Former #Bills executive Ron Raccuia releases statement after departure:

Ron Raccuia has issued a statement following his departure from the front office of the Buffalo Bills.

Earlier this week, the team announced that Raccuia and the Bills had “parted ways.” Owner Terry Pegula will step in and take on more responsibility as team president now.

Raccuia’s statement read “the time has come for new professional challenges.”

The statement via the Buffalo News can be found below:

“For the past several years I have been honored to work for the Pegula family and to serve as their business partner and lead executive on the new stadium project. Our work together has been gratifying and I am so proud of all that we have accomplished throughout the organizations. The time has come for new professional challenges and I’m excited for what the future holds.

“As a lifelong Buffalo resident, to work alongside the men and women at the Bills, Sabres and PSE has been a blessing. My family and I would like to personally thank the entire community for all the love and support they have shown us.”

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Terry Pegula takes over as team president as Ron Raccuia, Bills part ways

#Bills front office changes:

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The Buffalo Bills announced a front office restructuring on Wednesday which will see team owner Terry Pegula take over as the club’s president for Ron Raccuia.

Raccuia severed as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Bills. His role on the business side increased after co-owner Kim Pegula began a health battle in June 2022.

In a release, the team said Raccuia and the Bills had
“parted ways.”

“We would like to thank Ron for his many years hard work and dedication with the Bills and PSE,” Terry Pegula said via the release. “We wish he and his family the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

The Bills also added these updates to the front office structure:

Moving forward, Bills owner/CEO Terry Pegula will now take over the role as president of the Bills and will work closely with a new management committee consisting of John Roth, executive vice president/chief operating officer, Kathryn D’Angelo, general counsel and senior vice president of business administration, and Josh Dziurlikowski, senior vice president of finance and business administration.

In addition, Penny Semaia was hired as the vice president of stadium relations.

Roth was recently named the chief operating officer of the Buffalo Sabres and PSE and will continue to work in all three roles. With the Bills, he will oversee the team’s ticketing, business development, and the media and content departments.

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