Emotional Pegula to Buffalo Bills: ‘The name of our team will not change’
New Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula was unanimously approved by the NFL membership this week, and he even had time to send a confirmation text to his daughter of that approval.
Pegula met with the Buffalo media on Friday and let his emotions spill out as he spoke. For Bills fans, it was doubly sweet: Pegula paid his respects to the franchise’s former owner Ralph Wilson, who passed away this year, and also sent a message that should endear him quickly to the locals.
He started with a simple introduction to the fan base.
“My name is Terry Pegula, and the Pegulas just bought a football team,” he said. “Actually that’s not totally correct. We all just bought a team, our team, the Buffalo Bills.
“The name will not change. It will be the Buffalo Bills.”
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Pegula, who also owns the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and AHL hockey team the Rochester Americans, spoke with a quiver in his voice and had to pause several times as he talked. For Bills fans, Pegula purchasing the team — paying $1.4 billion to do so — was a huge relief. It meant their team wasn’t leaving western New York.
Despite that, some speculated that it was a steep price despite Pegula saying this week he thought he got a “hell of a deal” considering the team likely will need a new stadium in time. Pegula didn’t appear too concerned with that.
“I know there’s been comments about how much I paid,” Pegula said. “I want to ask our fans if I overpaid. I know they’ll tell you.”
They likely do not feel that way. And as for that stadium?
“We will gradually proceed to plan and design a stadium for the Buffalo Bills,” he said, offering no details.
But that’s talk for another day. Friday was about introducing Pegula to the fans who have already embraced him warmly, with “In Terry We Trust” signs and talk of Pegulaville. He said he bought the team as a sort of clarion call when the panic of the team possibly leaving town began to rise.
“The fear fans had in their hearts that they were going to lose their Bills,” he said. “… We don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
That said, Pegula dismissed the idea of him being some kind of savior, or higher being, for buying the team.
“If you want to worship somebody, go to church on Sunday,” he said.
Pegula will own the team along with his wife, Kim, although her role with the Bills is not exactly clear. She sat with their family as Terry spoke about making Buffalo a championship city and bringing Super Bowl titles to the Bills. But what rang home as the most emotionally raw moments of the afternoon was when Pegula connected with the fans and got choked up while explaining his emotions throughout the process of the sale.
“I was humbled by you, all the fans, and the outpouring of emotion that I saw when our name was announced as the winner of the bid,” Pegula said. “I could not believe the pent-up fear of losing the team that was released by you, the fans.”
The tears started flowing less than a minute into his opening statement. It was easy to see how much the day meant to him. Now imagine the pre-game ceremony involving Pegula on Sunday before a huge AFC East matchup against the rival New England Patriots. The emotions might flow like lava.
Bills fans, you appear to be in good hands.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
