Buffalo Bills sale: Jon Bon Jovi, MLSE, Rogers family in group Toronto bid

The long-rumored speculation about Jon Bon Jovi and his interest in the Buffalo Bills is true: John Wawrow of the Associated Press reported on Friday, citing three sources, that a Toronto-based bidding group involving the musician is among a group of people that have submitted paperwork in the Bills' sale process.

Bon Jovi is backed financially by Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the Rogers family. Each entity is expected to be responsible for about one-third of any final bid on the franchise, according to a separate report from John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. Though the financial stakes would be roughly equal, Bon Jovi would be the controlling owner of the Bills in a successful bid scenario.

Wawrow confirmed that the group submitted a non-disclosure agreement to Morgan Stanley, the bank overseeing the sale of the Bills, earlier this month that granted them access to the team's financials. The Toronto group has also retained Goldman Sachs to handle their bid. The report goes out of its way to note that there is no confirmation that the group would ultimately move the team to Toronto, but that has been the speculation for months now.

Finally, Wawrow's sources also confirmed that "at least 10" interested bidders submitted the NDA paperwork that took them into the next step of the sale process, which wraps up on July 29 when indication of interest documents are due. Among those that submitted the initial paperwork: Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula and noted real estate mogul Donald Trump.