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New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Bills' Reid Ferguson on NFLPA ‘PR nightmare': Union culture must change
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Reid Ferguson has been around longer than any other current Buffalo Bill, and only six teammates are under contract longer into the future. Buffalo's roster looks to Ferguson for leadership. That responsibility weighed on the long snapper's mind Tuesday as he drove the New York State Thruway from Orchard Park to St. John Fisher University and the start of training camp. Advertisement The Bills recently voted Ferguson their NFL Players Association representative, and the union is in turmoil. 'A lot of my time was spent thinking about all of the questions that I might get asked from guys,' Ferguson said Wednesday, 'I certainly was (thinking about that) when I showed up.' NFPLA executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned last week after a deluge of reports from 'Pablo Torre Finds Out,' Pro Football Talk and ESPN about conflicts of interest, curious nondisclosures to membership about collusion and expensing strip-club visits. The union's chief strategy officer, JC Tretter, stepped down three days later. Tretter, a suburban Buffalo native, was a favorite to at least become the NFLPA's interim director and possibly succeed Howell permanently. A substantial hurdle for Tretter, however, was the growing concern that he and Howell were in cahoots. The revelations have been humiliating for the union and problematic for Ferguson to his core. A locker room sage, Ferguson was named Buffalo's captain three times and its NFL Salute to Service Award nominee in 2022 and 2023. Ferguson said teammates are more confused than upset. They've seen the headlines and have questions. Most crucial, he said, is transparency in sharing what he knows 'from as many responsible parties as I can' and being transparent, even with reporters. Ferguson wasn't one bit squirrelly answering questions about what he conceded is 'a PR nightmare' and issues that eat at his conscience. 'Speaking as Reid Ferguson, I'm a Christian,' he said. 'I like to live my life in that way. I want to be a light for my faith and what I believe in. When you look at the stuff that has come out, I can't say that's extremely pleasing. Not just Lloyd, everybody involved. 'Being at a strip club is not something I'm particularly interested in having in my life. Not placing a ton of judgment on people, but news comes out that you're trying to get reimbursed?' Advertisement ESPN reported Howell and two union employees expensed $2,426 from an Atlanta strip club during the NFLPA's annual summit in February and charged $738.82 for a car service to a Florida strip club in 2023. Reporters also found out Howell was a consultant over the past two years for The Caryle Group, an NFL-approved investment firm seeking minority ownership in NFL clubs. Howell resigned from The Carlyle Group, too, but the organization gave no details. Ferguson was among Buffalo's alternate union reps — veteran edge rusher Von Miller held the lead role but is no longer on the team — when Howell was voted to succeed DeMaurice Smith, who retired in 2023 after 14 years as executive director. As such, Ferguson wasn't directly involved in vetting Howell and said he couldn't speak with authority about the process. 'That (disclosure) was not made aware to enough guys pre-voting process, post-voting process,' Ferguson said of The Carlyle Group conflict. 'There wasn't any communication that went out to members of the union regarding that specific thing about Lloyd or that side of Lloyd that I'm sure more guys would have raised some questions about.' As for Tretter, Ferguson was more sympathetic despite whispers that the former Cleveland Browns guard from Akron Central High might have manipulated Howell's rise to the NFLPA throne in exchange for a leadership role himself. Ferguson described his direct interactions with Tretter as favorable, and said additional insights from people Ferguson trusts indicate a good man who might have made some mistakes. 'When I look at JC, my feelings are relatively positive,' Ferguson said. Ferguson stressed the most critical next step for the NFLPA is identifying and installing the right interim leader to steer the union through its self-made turbulence. He spoke repeatedly of culture issues that go deeper than strip clubs and side deals that recently came to light. Advertisement The Fergusons are a proud football family. His brother, Blake Ferguson, won a national championship at LSU and spent the past five seasons long-snapping for the Miami Dolphins. The sport has helped shape him and his loved ones more than most, and he wants better from the union, whose sole purpose is to protect the players. 'Setting the culture of the union straight,' Ferguson said, is most important. 'It's not great right now. It hasn't been great for a little bit. … What came out is, I think, a trickle-down effect of the culture that exists at the union, thinking that it's OK to do that, thinking that it's OK to expense a strip club and ATM withdrawals. Personal opinion, but I think that's shared among the other guys. 'The CBA is up in 2031. And there's a couple things coming up before that, in '27 or '28 with TV stuff. So now's the time, and it's a little unfortunate that this happened, butting up before the season starts, but that's what we signed up for. We'll do what needs to be done to pick somebody and make those tough decisions.'
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bills place TE Knox and OLs Brown, Van Pran-Granger on injury lists day before opening training camp
FILE - Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) walks onto the field before an NFL football game against the New York Jets in Orchard Park, N.Y., Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File) The Buffalo Bills placed veteran tight end Dawson Knox on the non-football injury list on Tuesday in a series of roster moves made the day before the team opens training camp in suburban Rochester, New York. The Bills also placed starting right tackle Spencer Brown and backup offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran-Granger on the physically unable to perform list. The team did not disclose the nature or severity of the players' injuries, with coach Sean McDermott scheduled to address reporters before the opening practice on Wednesday. Advertisement The moves were noted on the NFL's daily transaction list, and came on the day Bills veterans reported for camp at St. John Fisher University. All three players are eligible to be activated off their respective lists once they pass their physicals. In separate moves, the Bills activated rookie defensive end Landon Jackson off the physically unable to perform list. The team also signed receiver David White and tight and Matt Sokol, while releasing punter Jake Camrada and receiver Kelly Akharaiyi. Sokol has appeared in eight career NFL games over three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots. He spent parts of last season on Pittsburgh's practice squad. Advertisement Camrada's departure leaves the Bills with Brad Robbins as the team's only punter entering camp. The team has an opening at the position after releasing veteran Sam Martin in March. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bills to bring back throwback red helmets for final game at Highmark Stadium
The Buffalo Bills will wear their nostalgic red helmets for the first time since 2001 when they host the New York Jets in Week 18, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon. After 24 years, the Bills are bringing back the headgear to commemorate the final home game at the current Highmark Stadium. Starting next season, the team will play at the new Highmark stadium, right next door to their current address in Orchard Park. Advertisement The Bills wore their red helmets from 1987-2001. With the bold, red base, the helmet features the blue and white logo on the side and a white facemask. "There's no better way to celebrate our fans and honor our team's history by bringing back the red helmets," Bills Chief Operating Officer Pete Guelli said in a statement. "The Bills provided this region with some of the most incredible moments in franchise history in the 1990s wearing these helmets and we feel this is a great way to commemorate the closing of Highmark Stadium in our regular season finale." Apart from the mask, the team will bring back their vintage "Standing Buffalo" uniforms twice this season. The helmet featuring a red silhouette of the Buffalo logo was memorably paired with their white jerseys, an ensemble introduced in 1962 and making its way back for Week 5 in Atlanta and Week 11 against Tampa Bay. Buffalo last wore the vintage combo on October 31, 2021, in a 26-11 win against the Miami Dolphins. Advertisement While giving an ode to their past, the Bills' present offers fans plenty of promise. Buffalo has made it to the divisional round of the postseason every year since 2020, making the conference title game in 2020 and 2024. Behind MVP Josh Allen, the Bills finished atop the AFC East with a 13-4 record this past season. They took down the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
In nod to team's history, Buffalo Bills to wear two additional helmets in 2025
The Bills are adding some Buffalo sauce and blue cheese (or is it ranch?) to their uniform closet in 2025, which will be the team's final one at Highmark Stadium. The team will bring back the red helmets it wore from 1984 to 2010 − and specifically the version used from 1987 to 2001, with white facemasks and blue and white stripes running down the crown's centerline − for the regular-season finale in Orchard Park, New York, against the Jets on January 4. They're the same helmets the Bills featured during their four consecutive Super Bowl losses between the 1990 and '93 seasons. "There's no better way to celebrate our fans and honor our team's history by bringing back the red helmets. The Bills provided this region with some of the most incredible moments in franchise history in the 1990s wearing these helmets and we feel this is a great way to commemorate the closing of Highmark Stadium in our regular season finale," said the club's chief operating officer, Pete Guelli, in a statement. The Bills are scheduled to move into their new building for the start of the 2026 season. In addition, Buffalo is bringing back the red 'Standing Buffalo' logo that served as the franchise's primary emblem from its AFL days in the 1960s until 1973. It was last used as a throwback during the 2021 season. The grazing buff will return at Atlanta for a Monday night game against the Falcons on October 13. The Bills will also use it at home on November 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. . This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bills' helmets: Buffalo to use 2 throwbacks in 2025, including red one
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
‘Big money, big times' as Bills' new stadium harkens memories of 1970s rollout
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — No need to consult an inflation calculator. We've done the math for you. But if you want a quick reminder of how much things have changed since the last time the Buffalo Bills opened a new ballpark, then we can simply refer to Page 4 of the first game program. That's right: You could buy a brand-new Datsun 1200 Fastback from Tunmore Oldsmobile for $2,195. Advertisement That was August 1973, when Rich Stadium opened in Orchard Park. It cost $22 million to build, which would be $174.2 million in today's dollars, almost exactly half of what the Cleveland Browns paid to all their players last year. At a working figure of $2.2 billion, the stadium being erected across Abbott Road is projected to cost 13 times as much as the adjusted-for-inflation total it took to build the previous one. But the stadium number Adam Ziccardi considers totally kablooey pertains to the job he once held. Ziccardi was the Bills assistant ticket director when they transitioned from War Memorial Stadium in the city to Rich Stadium in the suburbs. Buffalo's ticket office back then handled the task with four people in the span of four months. The most recent Bills team directory listed 20 people in the ticket department, six of them with titles of 'director' or higher. Then the Bills in 2021 contracted Legends Global Partnerships to pick up additional sales needs, an army of 44 more to help over five years until the stadium opens in 2026. While not all 44 troops are directly selling tickets, the most recent Bills front office directory (the team has scrubbed a rundown of every position and name from its website, but an archived version from December exists) shows Legends added a sales director, two ticket sales managers, four PSL coordinators and 19 account executives among the crew. So let's say 50 people are currently selling Bills PSLs and tickets and suites. 'That is definitely crazy,' Ziccardi said from his retirement home in North Carolina. 'Sounds like, with that many people, they got one person for each section of the stadium. 'Big money, big times.' Rich Stadium, although eventually downscaled, opened with a gargantuan inventory of 80,023 possible seats compared to The Rockpile's 46,206 at-the-seams capacity. And the turnaround was swift. Dignitaries broke ground in April 1972 with one last season planned in the city. Advertisement Yet there were no guarantees Rich Stadium would be completed in time for the 1973 campaign. The final 1972 game program mentioned nothing about a farewell. The Bills in January 1973 requested a provisional, one-year lease extension for The Rockpile just in case. Four months later, the Bills still were worried enough to pay $5,000 to resod the neglected, patchy field because their new home might not be ready. But as soon as the 1972 season ended with a 4-9-1 record and a sixth straight failure to reach the playoffs, Ziccardi and his crew couldn't wait around. Season tickets for the as-yet-unnamed stadium had to be sold. While the current Bills have a battalion, the 1972-73 staff was a lean, mean dialing machine. Ziccardi worked with ticket director Jim Cipriano and staffers Pat Shaughnessy and Adrianne Kolesar at the team's 69 W. Mohawk St. office. Working off index cards, they phoned season-ticket holders in order of seniority and told them their options: stay in roughly the same seat or upgrade to the club level. 'I had the lucky privilege of numbering the whole damn stadium,' Ziccardi said. 'The architect gave me the sections and how many rows there were and how many seats in each. I made the seating charts and numbered each seat. As people would take the seats, we would X them out, write up the change order that would go into the computer, and that would put them in the seat so it couldn't be given to somebody else. 'We called everybody, working from 8 in the morning until 10 or 11 at night, seven days a week. It was a real effort, but we got it done. I think we were done by April or May.' As Ziccardi recollected, Bills vice president Patrick McGroder and administrative assistant Bill Munson handled sales of 34 'business suites,' as they were called. Those cost $60,000 on a five-year lease. Advertisement As for courting new season-ticket holders, they essentially waited for their phone to ring. 'Exactly,' Ziccardi said. 'That was it. The stadium marketed itself.' That's nowhere near the case today. In addition to beefing up the personnel, selling for a significantly smaller stadium and years of transition time, the new PSL-based sales operation has been sweetened with the Bills Stadium Experience at 5110 Main Street in Williamsville. The initial budget to build the preview center in the Tony Walker Plaza — with touchscreens, intricate scale models and a virtual-reality theater — was $4 million. The Bills' promotional materials in 1973 consisted of a four-page folder on cardstock (the cutout cover showed the upper deck; open it up to isolate the club level and lower bowl) and a 16×20-inch poster of an artist rendering. Lower-level end zone season tickets went for $55 ($399 adjusted for inflation), corner stadium and club end zone for $70 ($508), sideline for $85 ($617) and club level for $120 ($871). Oh, you also could borrow from the Bills a 16 mm highlight film, 'A Year to Cheer,' for your stag parties, smokers, church groups and any other 'organization of 25 or more persons and is free of charge.' But you had to supply the sound projector and screen. 'It was so unsophisticated, even as recently as the 1980s,' Rice University sports management professor Tom Stallings said. 'You would just call in, and the reps would be more for service than for sales.' Stallings formerly sold group and season tickets for the Houston Astros and was an award-winning executive with the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League before entering academia. One of the classes he teaches at Rice is sales and revenue generation in sport. With so much money on the line in the major leagues, especially the NFL, all these sales reps are not overkill in the 21st century. Advertisement 'Every year, you've got to do more and more,' Stallings said, 'because people have so many options on how to spend their money and how to watch the games. Do I want to buy season tickets and force myself to go to 10 games, including the preseason which nobody cares about anyway, or sit on my couch and watch everything in high-definition with no restroom lines and beer in my fridge? 'There are retention reps. There's ticket ops. Some are new-sales reps. There are sales assistants. You have premium reps. There are inside-sales reps that always try to upgrade existing customers. They all have specialties. 'You break your staff up into hunters and farmers. The farmers are great at retention. They grow the business. Then there are your hunters, who are always looking for the companies that don't have tickets with us and why not. Who should we be going after? It's not like they have 20 people all doing the same thing.' PSLs add another important dimension to the Legends dynamic. Buffalo is one of the last big-league markets to mandate these licenses, and potentially aggravated fans need to be educated about why they're inevitable. By all accounts, Legends is doing well in this regard. Bills executive vice president and chief operations officer Pete Guelli repeatedly has remarked how swimmingly the PSL rollout has gone for the new Highmark Stadium. 'It's all to maximize that golden opportunity for sales,' Stallings said. 'That's the big picture. This stadium didn't come free. You have to pick up the prices somehow. People might say 'No,' but the team will just go find someone else who will say 'Yes.' That's just the way it is.' The first seats at New Highmark Stadium have been successfully installed. 😍 | #BillsMafia — Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 10, 2025 Stallings said breaking down PSL information for Bills fans is 'Real World 101.' Ziccardi called it something else. 'It's gouging,' said Ziccardi, who grew up in East Lovejoy and worked for the Bills until 1987. 'I don't like it. To make someone pay 10 grand or whatever they're asking before they even buy a ticket? There's more than enough TV revenue. Even when I was there, Ralph didn't spend a dime because TV was enough. The owners got a check from TV that paid all their expenses, and everything else went into the owners' pockets. Advertisement 'Revenues and player salaries are all higher, but it's all a mathematical equation, a percentage that guarantees massive profits.' Definitions of what's sufficient, what's fancy, what's unnecessary and what's overkill have changed in the past 52 years. The April 1973 edition of the 'Buffalo Bills Bulletin' fan newsletter trumpeted the luxuries of the stadium that was being built. 'Every one of the 80,000 seats will have an unobstructed view of the playing field,' the front-page article read. 'The seats are individually contoured aluminum with comfortably contoured backs. The new club level seating can be described as chair-style seating with arm rests.' The Buffalo Courier-Express reported in August 1973 that 'Wisely, the designers built the benches hanging in mid-air, with no legs, giving the fans a convenient place to stash their coats and stadium blankets.' That, of course, was at a time when many of the program ads featured fans wearing neckties. What happens under those seats today is no place to put anything you don't plan on fumigating later. And let's not forget the $1.25 million scoreboard 'composed of a set of nearly 10,000 light bulbs … The scoreboard will combine sight and sound with vivid, high-definition images, all created with modern computer techniques.' Imagine that. 'People weren't really excited about it like they are this new one,' Ziccardi conceded. The Bills, more or less, simply shuttered The Rockpile and told fans not to forget to show up in Orchard Park next season. Rich Stadium's rollout was minimal, partially due to concerns it wouldn't be completed in time, but also because ballparks back then were more utilitarian than loaded with accoutrements. Even so, Ziccardi and his skeleton crew sold a whopping 52,474 season tickets for Rich Stadium's launch and in 1974 raised the total to 54,146 – a club record until 1991, the year after their first Super Bowl appearance. 'If they went to the Super Bowl this year, imagine how high the season tickets would climb,' Ziccardi said. 'The prices would be absolutely astronomical. 'But they would sell out. That's just how Buffalo is.'
