Yesterday, we spoke briefly about incoming Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula, and his reported interest in perhaps one day owning Buffalo's bigger professional sports franchise, the Buffalo Bills.
The man from whom Pegula is purchasing the Sabres, Tom Golisano, is leaving the door open on that very possibility, as well. In a Thursday news conference announcing the sale of the Sabres (and we encourage everyone to discuss that at Die By The Blade), Golisano was asked about potentially one day owning the Bills. He expressed an openness to the idea.
"I would say it's within the realm of possibility," Golisano said on potentially owning another pro sports franchise.
"I think the key issue would be the level of concern I would have about them leaving the community, and the higher the concern, the more interest I would probably have," Golisano said in reference specifically to the Bills. "If there were people in here in the community who had the wherewithal and the desire to take over the team and didn't need what I had to offer, I'd say that would be great. I would be happy. But the level of interest will vary greatly, depending on the level of concern."
Golisano also told reporters Thursday that he turned down an offer for the Sabres that exceeded Pegula's by $70 million because that prospective owner wanted to move the Sabres out of Buffalo. Pegula is also contractually bound to keep the Sabres in Buffalo.