NEW YORK – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the Buffalo Bills’ efforts to fund a new stadium by forging a public-private partnership with New York State are “progressing in a positive way” and that the parties are “all working well together” with the goal of keeping the Bills “secure in Western New York for generations.”
Goodell, who is from Jamestown, addressed the issue during a brief press conference Tuesday night after the first day of the NFL owners’ annual fall meeting. His statement echoed comments he made in August at the Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Tournament in Batavia.
NFL owners are expected to receive an update on stadium negotiations Wednesday.
“Generally, I think things are progressing in a positive way,” Goodell said. “I think the parties are all working well together. I think there’s a recognition in the need for a new stadium in Buffalo for the Bills. And I think everyone’s working with that objective in mind.
“Listen, this is a process. And there has to be a public-private partnership here that has to be managed, but I think everyone’s coming to the table with the intent to make sure that the Buffalo Bills are secure in Western New York for generations. I think that’s important and that’s what we want to achieve.”
Bills owner Terry Pegula left the meeting early Tuesday and returned to Western New York after learning of a possible exposure to Covid-19 at his daughter Jessica’s wedding on Friday in Asheville, N.C. His departure leaves Ron Raccuia, the executive vice president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, as the Bills’ lone representative at the meeting.
Raccuia is expected to field questions from NFL owners Wednesday.
The Bills have proposed constructing a $1.4 billion stadium across the street from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
New York state hired a consulting firm, AECOM, to study the cost and practicality of renovating the existing stadium, and building a new stadium in either Orchard Park or downtown, which could add another $1 billion in construction and infrastructure costs.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has said her office will release the document to the public as soon as next month.
The NFL does not have a preference about the location of a new stadium, Goodell said.
“I don’t know if the league has a preference,” Goodell said. “My understanding of it is there’s a pretty strong recognition that the current location, or in that area, is the right location. But a lot of that, with my experience with this all over the country, because I’ve been involved in many of them, is that those are decisions that should be made locally, that they should be considered as what the cost of different projects would be, how they’re going to fund those projects, collectively, in a private-public partnership, and also more important, what’s best for that community.
“Because ultimately, we look for solutions that are good for the community, as well as the NFL. And that’s what the great public/private partnerships achieve.”
