So, the T.O media prints yet again another NFL coming to T.O on Grey Cup Sunday and then the Rogers and Sportsnet do nothing but talk up this story on the MOnday after Grey Cup. HMMMMM
Jealousy there in Toronto they can't figure out a way to get a football stadium done. Or maybe Braley is close to announcing a done deal and that has some of them afraid? 
Let's see, going to an NFL game in the Rogers Centre or an Argos game in an intimate stadium designed for football? Tough choice. :lol:
thanks for the old news.
including TSN…
[b][u]REPORT: BON JOVI, MLSE PLANNING BID FOR NFL TORONTO TEAM[/u]Multiple reports have linked rock star Jon Bon Jovi with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment in a bid to potentially bring the Buffalo Bills to Toronto once the Bills’ 95-year-old owner Ralph Wilson passes away.
Reports surfaced on CBS Sports’ web site Sunday that Bon Jovi was renewing his interest in becoming an NFL owner and cited his close ties with MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke as a natural fit for a partnership.
MLSE is co-owned by Bell and Rogers Communications, the latter already having close ties to the Wilson family. Rogers has partnered with the Bills, having held a regular season home game at the Rogers Centre every year dating back to 2008.National Post columnist and TSN’s “The Reporters? regular Bruce Arthur confirmed the partnership via Twitter on Sunday night.
“For the record, sources confirm Jon Bon Jovi is the frontman for a planned NFL in Toronto bid, with Larry [Tanenbaum], pushed by MLSE.?Bon Jovi has previously expressed interest in owning a share of the Atlanta Falcons in 2011. Leiweke, too, has a history of NFL ownership ambition, having pursued an NFL franchise for Los Angeles while president and CEO of L.A.-based Anschutz Entertainment Group.
http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/story/?id=437446[/b]
Leiweke stated on October 29, when detailing some of MLSE’s initiatives, that the chances of Toronto getting an NFL franchise in the next decade were “pretty good.?
It's supposed to scare any developers who are considering going in with the Argos on a new stadium.
Total scare tactic to me.
Good point Earl.
More Rogers BS.
This was released just last night during the Grey Cup. Coincidence? I think not!
How many tickets have they sold for the Bills game next week?
If Leiweke is such a hotshot why on earth would he leave LA (5 x larger market than TO and the best weather in the world) to come to Toronto in this freezing hell?
Bon Jovi just recently played a concert at ACC. My guess is Rogers seeing the abysmal tickets sales for next weeks Bills game and all the talk and TV ratings of the Grey Cup is trying to get media attention away from Bell/TSN to Rogers and generate buzz for the Bills game. They probably told Bon Jovi just to go along with the story. Doesn't hurt Bon Jovi to get their names in the paper either.
Stupid Toronto media falls for it every time.
Yes Godfather.
Now I can understand the media wanting to publish this, they want readers and I get that. But anything about the Bills moving to Toronto and Bon Jovi soon and at this point in time is way, way premature, the Bills and NY state are spending big millions upgrading Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills are in Buffalo for quite a while I would say. Roger Goodell is from NY state as well, no way would he allow the spending on The Ralph if he thought it was only for a few short years.
you do know that Bell (which is TSN parent) owns nearly a third of MLSE, who is reportedly partnering with Jon Bon Jovi and Larry Tannenbaum to purchase a Toronto NFL team.
if this TSN story is BS, then I would like to see Bon Jovi and Bell publicly refute these claims.
I would like to hear an official NFL spokesperson on this actually. Or Roger Goodell. We may hear something at the SB and the annual address the commish gives at that point.
There is a core of people in Toronto that think Canada should give them everything they want be it new subway lines or stadiums etc and they get upset when there taxes have to go up to fund certain projects same thing with a Nfl team there are many that think Canada should fund there stadium.
How nice to be raiding an elderly before he’s even dead…
The voice of reason. I agree, Earl.
Everything points to the Bills staying in Buffalo while milking the Toronto market for Corporate support once or twice a year. Nothing to see here.
Yes.
Ralph Wilson released this in response…
“Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. is the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills franchise. The organization does not respond to reports of the interest other parties may have in ownership of the franchise or of speculation concerning various groups that may have such interest.?
which means he was offended. That’s a shame. What a bunch of jackasses.
Agree Kevin that RW probably was offended. And this is still on the Bills site:
Bids sought for RWS renovations
[url=http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/11/12/bids-sought-for-rws-improvement/]http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/11/1 ... provement/[/url]Doesn't a story like this come out every year around Grey Cup. Not surprising Toronto media jumped on this and Rogers, a little surprised that TSN ran it, being that they have invested so much into CFL. Nfl in Toronto needs an individual with deep pockets (far deeper than Bon Jovi), and about 1-2 billion dollars for fees and a new stadium. Federal government won't touch this for funding, Ontario government? are people outside of Toronto wanting to help fund a stadium for Toronto. Not to mention that they state "when Wilson dies". The guy could live 1 more year, he could live 10 more years. As people have stated there is still no team in LA, which at one time had two teams. Also, money wise, I could see London being a bigger priority than Toronto. At least London supports their exibition games.
It's completely disrespectful by Rogers, but that's exactly what I would expect out of them. I hope they have fun papering the stands with free tickets again and lose a boatload of cash on another "home" game for the Bills that nobody cares about.
My only thinking with TSN's involvement is that there may be something in this for the CFL, or Argos? :?
There are people outside the Gta that would support this as i know a fair amount in Ottawa and they would get season tickets but the over all population if Ontario came out and said were going to give $600 million for a new Nfl stadium you can bet there would be riots.
TSN has to release something. They are a news organization and this is news.
However, the Bills will be in Buffalo forever and ever, amen. This is just silly.
As I posted on another site…
**
Buffalo has…
- The Team - possession is nine tenths of the law.
- Tradition - the team has been there for 50 years.
- An NFL stadium - Toronto does not even have one planned.
- Political will - U.S. Senators/Congressmen in one of the U.S.'s most powerful states looking to keep the team in Buffalo.
- Positive Influence/Input on the U.S. TV contract.
- (Limited) Access to the Corporate Canadian market. (Very limited) U.S. Corporate support.
- Rabid fans that sell out.
8] A NFL football hero (in Jim Kelly) trying to buy the team and keep it there. - Rich Buffalo locals willing to help buy the team and keep it there.
- The NFL’s desire to keep the CFL alive and well.
- The NFL Commissioner, from Western NY, pulling for them to stay.
**
Toronto has…
- No team.
- No NFL tradition.
- No NFL stadium.
- No political influence on the NFL.
- No big TV money.
- A very large corporate base.
- No rabid fans.
8] No one within the NFL pulling for them. - Rich locals trying to buy a team.
- An indifference to the CFL and unproven support for football - both 3 or 4 down.
**
Yet Torontonians believe that they are not only entitled to a team but will get one soon.
Now who’s being naïve?
Pretty simple to see what happened here. Bon Jovi and Rudewikee got together while he was in Toronto schemed that up and then Rudewikee leaked it to his partners. The NFL is not going to like this and you can be sure they know about it, the NFL is like a giant octopus with tentacles everywhere. Jersey's lesser favorite musician may just have killed any chance if he ever had one of owning an NFL team.
A Californian and a New Jersey musician plotting to uproot an NFL franchise out of the US to bring it to Toronto. They need career managers :lol: