RIP Mr Wilson

[Andrew Amerk]

Thank you for everything that you did for this region.

 

RIP, RW Jr

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

[That Aud Smell]

 

 

The estate has a financial responsibility to sell the asset for maximum return... so whether the team moves depends almost exclusively on the intentions of the highest bidder (and of course the other owners must sign-off on the plan to move if it comes to that). That is how it has always been, which is why I always got annoyed by the large number of folks who just blindly assumed the team would stay in Buffalo... it may, but it is far from assured.

 

i'm back where i was before i read that very generic statement in the article about the executor's fiduciary duty to get the best price. while that is true in the abstract, it is still an abstraction, a principle. we don't yet know what the plan is, and there is a plan, of course.

 

maybe the plan is to get the greatest value and most manageable tax burden, subject to the other owners' approval. maybe.

 

we'll just have to wait and see.

 

did you see the tweet about how mr. wilson called russ brandon last week to talk about a mid-round DB prospect? (no joke.) #meddler #sarcasm

[Marvelo]

I never got this "Mr. Wilson" stuff. Why not just Ralph? He wasn't Dennis the Menace's next door neighbor and we're not 5 years old. Mr. Wilson just sounds false like there's too much respect there, someone who's way above us. Maybe that's what he was...way above us, pulling the levers (and many of the wrong ones) out there in Michigan like some kind of Wizard of Oz of bad football.

 

For all the years he lorded over the Bills (and there were many dismal, dismal seasons before many of you were even born), I had the sense that he really loved Buffalo but was vulnerable about the effect losing had on the fans and afraid of how consistently bad the team was. There's a story that in 2009, he was going to have a special presentation to himself at a Bills game at halftime to show off his HOF ring. He abruptly cancelled this presentation; rumor was that he was afraid that the fans would boo him because of all the bad years.

 

Despite all the losing and bad football, and his 50+ years of ownership, his big chance to win a coveted Super Bowl went wide right by a foot. (maybe poetic justice, maybe part that the stadium that bears his name was cursed; built on top of a burial ground) But if it wasn't for Ralph C. Wilson, Buffalo wouldn't be on the national sporting map, there would be no Buffalo Bills or Oakland Raiders, the AFL would've probably run into the ground and there probably would be no AFL-NFL merger. The man was a football visionary who unfortunately was a prime example of a meddling owner.

 

But he was a gentleman and a sportsman. I couldn't be more impressed that he played tennis into his 90s. A tower of strength that seemed as rock solid as Mount Rushmore, born at the end of WW I. But even Ralph Wilson is human and unfortunately all things must pass. I hope he's playing tennis up there, pain free, age free, and winning championship after championship.

 

Rest in Peace Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Thank you for putting your faith in Buffalo.

Edited March 26, 2014 by 716

[That Aud Smell]

I never got this "Mr. Wilson" stuff. Why not just Ralph? He wasn't Dennis the Menace's next door neighbor and we're not 5 years old. Mr. Wilson just sounds false like there's too much respect there, someone who's way above us. Maybe that's what he was...way above us, pulling the levers (and many of the wrong ones) out there in Michigan like some kind of Wizard of Oz of bad football.

 

speaking only for myself, i'm a grown-ass man, but still tend (prefer) to refer to people born before ~1940 by "mr.", "mrs.", etc.

 

i'm just old fashioned that way. it strikes me that what you call "too much respect," i call "respect."

[Marvelo]

speaking only for myself, i'm a grown-ass man, but still tend (prefer) to refer to people born before ~1940 by "mr.", "mrs.", etc.

 

i'm just old fashioned that way. it strikes me that what you call "too much respect," i call "respect."

 

I think respect is a lost art. It's nice to refer to someone you know that way but for people you don't personally know...It always kinda weirded me out that through the years almost all of the players would refer to him as Mr. Wilson as well. It was like it was written that he had to be referred to in that way in the clubhouse manual.

Edited March 26, 2014 by 716

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I'm not really a football fan, but do have family in the Buffalo area, so did sort of follow the Bills and even went to a few games over the years.

 

The last several years not withstanding, Mr. Wilson made it possible to be, not only proud to be a Bills fan, but proud to be from Western NY.

 

May the blessings of the Almighty be upon him and his family.

[North Buffalo]

RIP Ralph, Thank you for all the memories.

[That Aud Smell]

I think respect is a lost art. It's nice to refer to someone you know that way but for people you don't personally know...It always kinda weirded me out that through the years almost all of the players would refer to him as Mr. Wilson as well. It was like it was written that he had to be referred to in that way in the clubhouse manual.

 

fair enough on my not knowing him, and therefore being a bit affected when it comes to referring to him as 'mr. wilson.'

 

but the players knew him - many of them knew him quite well. those players are out in force, talking about how he was a father figure to many of them. for the guys on the superbowl teams, they were in their 20s/30s when he was in his 70s. so, yeah - 'mr. wilson.'

[Campy]

My point: No one knows what the plan is.

 

EDIT. Ummm, welp.

 

"Ultimately, however, Wilson’s estate will have the fiduciary responsibility to take roughly the best offer it can get for the franchise."

 

http://www.buffalone...-trust-20140325

 

Apology accepted. :P

 

Evidently some owners - most notably Kraft of the Pats - have said they will do all they can to ensure the Bills remain in Bufalo. Hopefully it's not just lip service...

[That Aud Smell]

Apology accepted. :P

 

Evidently some owners - most notably Kraft of the Pats - have said they will do all they can to ensure the Bills remain in Bufalo. Hopefully it's not just lip service...

 

Ha.

 

Today's paper is fairly insistent: The team's been placed into a trust.

 

That is potentially significant - potentially very significant.

 

If the franchise were just a probate asset (i.e., an asset of the deceased's estate), the executor would need to maximize its value for the benefit of the estate's beneficiaries.

 

But the franchise is not a probate asset -- it's held in a trust. There's a separate document (or set of them) that governs that trust, and it/they likely give some very specific prescriptions for how the asset is to be handled.

[spndnchz]

[shrader]

To me, it's more scary than anything. We always knew this day was right around the corner, but we are now officially at the point where we have absolutely no clue what happens next. Jim Kelly's current condition just adds to the gloom.

 

Thanks for everything Ralph. Hopefully we will have one more thing to thank you for in the coming months.

[26CornerBlitz]

http://www.buffalobi...ash_buf_article

[Campy]

Ha.

 

Today's paper is fairly insistent: The team's been placed into a trust.

 

That is potentially significant - potentially very significant.

 

If the franchise were just a probate asset (i.e., an asset of the deceased's estate), the executor would need to maximize its value for the benefit of the estate's beneficiaries.

 

But the franchise is not a probate asset -- it's held in a trust. There's a separate document (or set of them) that governs that trust, and it/they likely give some very specific prescriptions for how the asset is to be handled.

 

I hope Ralph was very specific on how he wanted it handled. And I hope they involve something more than a lease agreement to bind the Bills to Buffalo!

 

I guess we'll all find out soon enough...

[LTS]

The man lived 95 years.

 

He helped form the largest and most popular sport in the United States.

 

He was a voice that added wisdom to its dealings throughout the years.

 

He established Buffalo as a viable sports city for professional sports.

 

He stood by Buffalo and kept this team functioning against economic factors.

 

Not everyone in this world gets to leave with that legacy. Few get to take 95 years to walk this Earth and spread their influence.

 

That's one incredible life to live. Well done, sir.

[dEnnis the Menace]

I really hope whomever takes over and buys this franchise understands the legacy and what Ralph has done, and respects it leaving the team here in this city. It would be a crying shame if they didn't.

 

Reading over on Buffalorumblings.com: the estate needs to approve of the sale, followed by 24 of the NFLs owners. It's long odds that they all approve an owner that is going to move the franchise but hey, you never know

 

The more I read and watch tributes and what not, the more I've learned about the man, and the more respect I have for him. Has the team been run poorly at times? yeah. But everything else the man has done was not poorly done in the least bit.

[LGR4GM]

If I had the money and not because of ties to the area but in Honor of Ralph Wilson, I would buy the team and pledge I would not consider moving the franchise until they won a superbowl.

[Stoner]

It's nice when people say nice things about nice people who die, but even Ralph has to be chuckling up there. I read one wire report that described him in the lead as the "beloved" owner of the team. It's fair to say the relationship between the fan base and the owner was "complicated."

[apuszczalowski]

The estate has a financial responsibility to sell the asset for maximum return... so whether the team moves depends almost exclusively on the intentions of the highest bidder (and of course the other owners must sign-off on the plan to move if it comes to that). That is how it has always been, which is why I always got annoyed by the large number of folks who just blindly assumed the team would stay in Buffalo... it may, but it is far from assured.

I was looking this morning at the top values by Forbes of the NFL teams, and even with the lease opt-out cost of $400 million, its quite possibly that it won't be a big thing to prevent someone from moving the team. If you figure the Bills franchise value of $850 mil +/-, then tack on $400 for the opt out, thats $1.25 Billion, the average value of an NFL franchise according to Forbes is $1.17 billion, with the top 10 franchises all valued over $1.2 Billion. If a new owner sees that a bigger market can put him into the top 10 in franchise values, dropping $1.5 Billion to buy the team (including the opt-out cost) is not out of the question.

 

Now if the family has a say in who gets the franchise, they may value a $850 million bid for the team from someone local more then a similar but slightly higher bid by someone who intends to relocate.

The difficult task right now is going to be finding someone/a group of investors with that kind of money and ties to Buffalo, who will be willing to keep the franchise in Buffalo without going into the Red, cause no business person/investor is going to invest that kind of money without getting a good return on their investment. It might also involve fans shelling out more money, and the area being willing to help out funding a new stadium (or huge improvements/renovations to rebuild RWS)

 

It's nice when people say nice things about nice people who die, but even Ralph has to be chuckling up there. I read one wire report that described him in the lead as the "beloved" owner of the team. It's fair to say the relationship between the fan base and the owner was "complicated."

Yup, fans who were less then a day earlier calling him cheap, and wishing for a new owner who would be willing to turn the franchise around are now talking about how great he was......

[MattPie]

I await the meddling trial!

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet

 

Ralph Wilson called #Bills CEO Russ Brandon four days ago about a safety prospect he believed was a 3rd or 4th rounder. Amazing.

[Iron Crotch]

I was looking this morning at the top values by Forbes of the NFL teams, and even with the lease opt-out cost of $400 million, its quite possibly that it won't be a big thing to prevent someone from moving the team. If you figure the Bills franchise value of $850 mil +/-, then tack on $400 for the opt out, thats $1.25 Billion, the average value of an NFL franchise according to Forbes is $1.17 billion, with the top 10 franchises all valued over $1.2 Billion. If a new owner sees that a bigger market can put him into the top 10 in franchise values, dropping $1.5 Billion to buy the team (including the opt-out cost) is not out of the question.

 

Now if the family has a say in who gets the franchise, they may value a $850 million bid for the team from someone local more then a similar but slightly higher bid by someone who intends to relocate.

The difficult task right now is going to be finding someone/a group of investors with that kind of money and ties to Buffalo, who will be willing to keep the franchise in Buffalo without going into the Red, cause no business person/investor is going to invest that kind of money without getting a good return on their investment. It might also involve fans shelling out more money, and the area being willing to help out funding a new stadium (or huge improvements/renovations to rebuild RWS)

 

 

That's just it. I understand the sentimental value of keeping the team in place, but it is plainly obvious that the value of the franchise would be maximized elsewhere (e.g. Los Angeles). And, as far as we know Ralph simply wanted to get his heirs the greatest possible financial return. I have to think that if he had a different motivation (e.g. keep the team in Buffalo at all costs) we'd have heard about it by now. So in my estimation, someone would have to be willing to significantly overpay to keep the team in Buffalo. Does such a group exist? We'll see.

 

As for owners blocking the move, why would they? They stand to make more money if the team relocates to a bigger media market. Why would they be against this?

 

Anyway, we'll see how this all plays out...

[dEnnis the Menace]

It's nice when people say nice things about nice people who die, but even Ralph has to be chuckling up there. I read one wire report that described him in the lead as the "beloved" owner of the team. It's fair to say the relationship between the fan base and the owner was "complicated."

 

true as it may be, I still have a lot of respect for the man and his accomplishments.

[Eleven]

Those discussing the future of the team: We have no idea what the will says, and we have no idea what the trust instrument says (although we know there is a trust) or even what state law governs the trust (it does not have to be Michigan or New York). Everything is complete speculation.

[LastPommerFan]

It's nice when people say nice things about nice people who die, but even Ralph has to be chuckling up there. I read one wire report that described him in the lead as the "beloved" owner of the team. It's fair to say the relationship between the fan base and the owner was "complicated."

 

I thought the comments so far have been pretty nice. Especially for a thread dedicated to ripping Mr. Willson.