INDIANAPOLIS - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the Bills in Toronto series during his annual news conference at the Super Bowl today. He gave exactly the answer one would expect, promoting the Bills' efforts to regionalize the franchise.
Q: In 2012, it will be the final deal with a five-year agreement between the Buffalo Bills and a communication company to play games in Toronto. What is your view on seeing that series continue, and if the Bills were to not make a deal on their own to play in Toronto, would you favor, or see an opportunity for regular-season NFL games to be played in Toronto by other means?
Goodell: “Well, as a guy from Western New York, we know how important the Bills are to western New York and how important they continue to be for that community. One of the things the [Buffalo Bills] have done very effectively is regionalize that team to broaden its exposure, but also its fan following down to its southern tier, over to Rochester and now north and onto southern Ontario and the Toronto area. The series has been very helpful to the Bills, I think, in building that fan base. We have seen the kind of response and what it has done for season ticket sales for them down in Buffalo and to try and help that franchise broaden their appeal. In those discussions, I have talked to both sides, and I believe there is a willingness and an interest to extend the agreement, and we will work to try and help support that.”
---Mark Gaughan
