The Buffalo Bills might get some new superstar owners to accompany a new stadium.
Former basketball stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady seemingly have everything in common.
They belong to the same biological family.
They both have plaques in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
And now, along with other investors, they both want to become owners of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
The Associated Press reported, “Former NBA stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are part of a group being considered by the NFL to purchase a non-controlling stake in the Buffalo Bills, a person with knowledge of the league finance committee’s agenda told The Associated Press on Monday…
“The Bills declined to comment on potential investors, saying in a statement that the process is ongoing and requires NFL approval.
“Carter, McGrady and MLS player Jozy Altidore have joined Gridiron Capital managing partner Tom Burger in a consortium seeking to buy a 10.6 percent share of the Bills…Gridiron Capital’s share would amount to about 1.4 percent.”
The Bills have since confirmed reports of the potential sale.
In a statement shared by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills organization said, “Earlier this year, the Pegula family retained Allen & Company to explore the potential sale of a non-controlling, minority interest in the Bills. Since then, there has been a significant amount of interest, and our focus has been finding the right partners for our organization. The process is on-going, and any potential investor cannot be confirmed or finalized until it’s approved by the NFL.
“The Pegula family’s continued commitment to our fans across this region and beyond, Western New York, and the new Highmark Stadium remains unchanged. Neither the team nor the Pegula family can comment any further at this point.”
If the deal goes through, another group called Arctos Partners would buy 10 percent of the Bills.
Majority owners Terry and Kim Pegula would own more than 79 percent of the franchise, a controlling stake.
At the beginning of their NBA careers, cousins McGrady, 45, and Carter, 47, both starred for the Toronto Raptors before McGrady took a lucrative free agent deal with the Orlando Magic.
Toronto is near Buffalo, N.Y.
Altidore also played professional soccer in Toronto for the Toronto FC from 2015 to 2021.
The soccer star won the MLS Cup MVP in 2017.
And despite Toronto having a Canadian Football League team with the Argonauts, many residents of Toronto cheer for the Bills during the NFL season.
In April, the Pegulas announced their plans to sell a minority stake in the Bills.
The couple also owns the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.
The Associated Press added, “The sale was considered a way for the Pegulas to cash in on the rising value of the franchise. Forbes’ latest valuation of the Bills was at $4.2 billion. The Pegulas bought the team in 2014 for a then-NFL record $1.4 billion from the estate of Hall of Fame owner and team founder Ralph Wilson.
“The cost of the Bills’ new stadium has risen to more than $2.1 billion, with the Pegulas on the hook for $1.25 billion, including an estimated $560 million in overruns.”
The potential sale and planned new stadium, which should open in 2026, coincide with a successful season thus far.
The Bills are coming off handing their rival Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the 2024 season.
Buffalo currently sits atop the AFC East division with a record of 9-2.
Their only two losses came at the hands of the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens.
Both of their losses are to playoff teams from 2023.
Despite the regular season success and new stadium, members of the Bills mafia have their eyes set on a Super Bowl win, something that has eluded them for decades.
In the 1990s, the Bills dominated the AFC including an improbable come from behind playoff victory against the Houston Oilers in 1992 season.
The team reached four consecutive Super Bowls.
However, the team lost all four.
Regardless, the team had one of the most talented teams of all time with Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith and Thurman Thomas.
Despite some lean years in their early days in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills of the 1970s featured one of the best running backs of all time in the late O.J. Simpson who ran behind a tough offensive line, known affectionately as “The Electric Company.”
The offensive line got that nickname based off a popular cartoon series and the fact that they plugged the “Juice” up.
The current Bills feature one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh Allen, along with a talented wide receiver corps featuring Amari Cooper and rookie and Opelousas, La. native, Keon Coleman.
Altidore, Carter and McGrady represent a growing trend of former athletes flexing their entrepreneurial muscle in the sports arena.
According to Bleacher Report, “Now the trio is reportedly looking to become the latest group of former athletes to purchase a stake in NFL franchises. Former U.S. Gymnastics star Dominique Dawes was part of a bid for a minority stake in the Atlanta Falcons in May, while former NFL star Tom Brady is reportedly seeking to purchase a share of the Las Vegas Raiders pending team owners approval.”
Despite the list of Black minority owners, the NFL has yet to have a Black American own a majority stake in an NFL franchise.
BET co-founder Bob Johnson became the first Black American to own a majority percentage of a major professional sports team when he bought the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Hornets).
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