Potential Bills owners have met with Buffalo Fan Alliance

On Monday night's edition of Buffalo Rumblings Live, Buffalo Fan Alliance president Matt Sabuda took us through the ins and outs of the Alliance's plan to loan interest-free money to a new potential owner to help that group keep the team in Buffalo for the long haul. In addition to that discussion, Sabuda mentioned that the group has already met with two ownership groups interested in purchasing the Bills.

"We've actually had the opportunity to meet with two ownership groups that have the credentials to potentially purchase the team that would be interested in keeping them here in Buffalo, and both were very interested in that as part of their debt picture," said Sabuda when asked what the response to the Alliance has been from potential owners.

The Alliance's plan is to have make (hopefully) tax-deductible contributions to a fund that would then be loaned interest-free to help a new ownership group finance the purchase of the team or build a new stadium. This money would then be paid back over a predetermined length of time into the fund for use on stadium improvements, or when the team is sold in the future. The thought is that the savings in interest payments would be part of the puzzle to make it profitable to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Small ($100) and large ($10,000 and more) donations have been discussed to this point, but the Alliance has not begun to take donations at this time.

Naturally, we asked Sabuda to name names, but a non-disclosure agreement quickly put that notion to bed. He did share some generalities that fans may find comforting.

"I can't say [which potential ownership groups we're talking about]," Sabuda said. "One is one fans have heard of and wouldn't come as any surprise, and one came completely out of left field. We'll see where that goes. There is no shortage of people that are interested in purchasing the Bills. The one group that came out of left field is not necessarily Buffalo-based - has some Buffalo connections - but from all indications we have, thought Buffalo was a good market to have an NFL team. Whether that person is continuing to be vetted by the league or is going to be viable, time will tell."

He finished off the answer with a laugh and one final thought:

"I wish I could say things, but they made us signs things saying that."

Make sure to watch the entire interview, or listen to it as a podcast. You can follow the Buffalo Fan Alliance on Twitter (@fanalliance and @mattsabuda) or check out their website at buffalofanalliance.org.