WGRZ's Adam Benigni is reporting, citing three sources, that Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula is planning on making an ownership bid for the Buffalo Bills.
The news comes one day after The Buffalo News reported that Pegula's East Resources Inc., along with another undisclosed company, sold 75,000 acres of land in West Virginia and Ohio for $1.75 billion. Forbes estimates Pegula's worth at $3.3 billion.
Pegula purchased the Sabres from previous owner Tom Golisano in 2011 for $189 million. (Golisano is another name that has publicly disclosed his interest in bidding on the Bills.) His ownership in the NHL will not impact his potential ownership in the NFL, as league rules only prohibit ownership of other major pro sports franchises when the other team is in a different market.
In the four years since he sold major areas of his company to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion, Pegula has not only purchased the Sabres, but re-established their ties with the AHL's Rochester Americans. He's also well known for his donations to Penn State University, where he donated $102 million for the Pegula Ice Arena, and was the driving force behind the $170 million HARBORCENTER project in Buffalo.
Pegula is more than simply the latest name in a growing list of potential bidders for the Bills; he may very well be the clubhouse leader in terms of potential owners that Bills fans should be pulling for.