Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Backs Jon Bon Jovi’s Bid to Buy the Bills

But with the money behind “America’s Team” pulling for the man behind “Livin’ on a Prayer,” we’ll find out which cowboy really rides the steel horse.

Life for Buffalo Bills fans is, to quote a certain New Jersey hair rocker, “tough, so tough.” How tough? The team is approaching the 15th anniversary of its last playoff appearance. Their venerable owner, Ralph Wilson, passed away this year, leaving the team’s ownership in limbo. The greatest Bill of them all, Jim Kelly, is in a monumental struggle with cancer. So…tough. Now Bon Jovi wants to ride his steel horse into Orchard Park, New York, and whisk the Bills across the border to Toronto—quite possibly before they have a chance to get back to the playoffs and atone for the Music City Nightmare. And Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has given strong support to the move.


At the NFL’s annual meetings Jones endorsed Bon Jovi’s qualifications in terms buttery enough to make you blush. “There hasn’t been anybody more qualified to be involved in sports ownership, or certainly ownership in the NFL, than Jon Bon Jovi,” Jones gushed. “I don’t know of anyone that I have any more respect for as a father, or as a husband, or certainly as a potential business partner. He’s a great friend.” Gosh, Jerry, get a room already.


Sure, Bon Jovi does seem like a genuinely nice guy, but his bid to buy the Bills (in partnership with a Toronto business concern) puts him at serious odds with one of the most rabidly dedicated fan bases in sports. Oddly, the perennial underdog city of Buffalo could be in the unaccustomed position of siding with Goliath in a David vs. Goliath battle. In this case Goliath is one Donald Trump. The Donald, with a net worth of $3 billion or so, has expressed an interest in buying the Bills and keeping the team in Buffalo. The question is, does Bon Jovi (net worth: $300 million) have enough financial muscle behind him to outbid Trump? That remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure. If Bon Jovi succeeds, the First Niagara Center in Buffalo would be an interesting stop on the next Bon Jovi tour.

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