It seems like Donald Trump was serious after all about his intentions to purchase the Buffalo Bills after the death of owner Ralph Wilson. However, another celebrity, Jon Bon Jovi also forwarded his interest in acquiring the NFL team, the Toronto Sun reports.
Trump said that he will exert a lot of effort to own the team and use his own popularity to improve ticket sales at games. The Apprentice star has a net worth of around $3.9 billion, so it is within his financial capacity to own the Bills at a hefty tag of $1 billion. The NFL has very strict ownership rules and requires that there is at least one co-owner who owns a minimum of 30% of the whole team. Trump is also adamant in saying that he will keep the Bills in Buffalo, especially that he resides conveniently close, in New York City. Trump has allegedly spoken with Russ Brandon, president of the Buffalo Bills, a couple of times. He expects that a deal will be finalized soon.
On the other hand, Bon Jovi has a lower net worth of $290 million, which means that he will most likely only be a minority shareholder. The rock star is said to be part of a Toronto group that aims to purchase the Bills. Trump also expects other interested parties with deeper pockets to attempt to buy the team. He said he will not enter a bidding war with anyone.
The Buffalo Bills has an existing lease with Erie County, according to a report by Business Insider, which means that it has to stay in Buffalo until 2020. According to a Buffalo News report, the team may be sold as early as October 2014. Regardless of who the most qualified potential owner is, all NFL owners still need to approve any sale of any NFL team. 75% or 24 of the owners should approve of the sale, writes the Toronto Life.
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