Snow started before the game and slowly filled the field as the Bills took on the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Orchard Park on Jan. 22.

Wide Snow Highmark Stadium

Bills break ground on $1.54B stadium

The Buffalo Bills broke ground on their new $1.54 billion stadium Monday, with NFL, state and local dignitaries on hand to mark the occasion.

It was an emotional day in the suburb of Orchard Park, where the Bills have played since 1973. Among the crowd to watch the first shovels turned were Mary Wilson, the widow of Bills founder Ralph Wilson.

The team and public officials agreed on a public-private financing plan to keep the Bills in a modern stadium in Orchard Park, across the street from the location of the original Rich Stadium, now called Highmark Stadium. The Bills announced Monday that Highmark, a Western New York insurance firm, will be the name sponsor of the new stadium when it opens in 2026.

The stadium financing includes $600 million from the state and $250 million in county funds, with the rest coming from the team.

Bills co-owner Terry Pegula told the crowd that it’s time to add to the storied history of the team with the new stadium.

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “We’re going to build a stadium here, right? And we’re going to tear down a stadium over there that’s full of memories. So, we need to fill this stadium with more memories, and continue our legacy.

“We should remember the past, but embrace the building of our future.”

Pegula teared up as he paid tribute to those who weren’t there for the next step in Bills history — his wife and co-owner Kim, who is battling health issues, and the 10 victims of last year’s mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who was born about an hour south in Jamestown, N.Y., was among the dignitaries to grab a shovel. Of the 20 or so groundbreaking ceremonies he has attended, this one holds a special place for him, he said.

“None of them are more meaningful than being here today. This is an extraordinary community, they deserve an extraordinary stadium, and you’re going to get it. … Western New Yorkers have always shown that passion for football, for the Bills,” he said.

“The Bills are now secured in Western New York. And that’s something that we should all take great pride in.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 9, 2022; London, United Kingdom; New York Giants co-owner John Mara watches from the sidelines during an NFL International Series game against the Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL will allow teams to play on two short weeks

NFL teams will be allowed to appear in two Thursday games on short weeks based on a rule change implemented Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix.

The league tabled a vote on permitting flex scheduling for Thursday night games, a tweak that, if ultimately approved, could prevent matchups of losing teams in a prime-time showcase.

The change that was implemented could end up seeing some teams play on Thursday three times. Should a team be scheduled on consecutive Thursdays, only the first of those two games would be considered a short week.

In prior years, every team was assigned at least one Thursday game per season, but that will no longer be a requirement moving forward.

NFL executive vice president and chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp said, “We’re interested in making sure that we get exposure for all of our clubs. We also believe that these national windows are for clubs that are playing well. We want to put the best teams in the best windows.”

As for flex scheduling for Thursday games, New York Giants owner John Mara, who opposes the idea, fears it might pass at the next league meetings in May, according to ESPN.

“At some point, can we please give some consideration to the people who are coming to our games?” Mara said, according to ESPN. “People make plans to go to these games weeks and months in advance. And 15 days ahead of time to say, ‘Sorry, folks, that game you were planning on taking your kids to Sunday at 1, now it’s on Thursday night?’ What are we thinking about?”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded to Mara’s remarks by saying, “There isn’t anybody in any of our organization that doesn’t put our fans first. Providing the best matchups for our fans is what we do. That’s part of what our schedule has always focused on. Flex has been part of that. We are very judicious with it and careful with it. We look at all the impacts of that before a decision is made.”

–Field Level Media

Feb 8, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during a press conference at Phoenix Convention Center prior to Super Bowl LVII. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Ten ex-players sue NFL over disability program

Willis McGahee is one of 10 former NFL players suing the league, its board of trustees and commissioner Roger Goodell in federal court over its benefits plan, accusing them Thursday of a number of “unscrupulous tactics” to wrongfully avoid paying out disability claims.

The class-action lawsuit was filed in Baltimore in the U.S. District Court of Maryland and lays out what’s described as an “overly aggressive and disturbing pattern” of denying benefits for specious, subjective reasons, making it far more difficult for retired players to receive health care they need after playing in the NFL.

McGahee, a two-time Pro Bowl running back who played for the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns in his 10-year NFL career, is now 41 but told reporters in a virtual news conference that his physician said his arthritis comparable to an 80-year-old.

McGahee said he tried for six years to receive disability payments from the NFL and was denied last year.

“It’s time for me to step up, it’s time for other players to step up and say something,” McGahee told reporters. “We are not just going to sit back and just let it all fall down on us and take the beating.”

The other plaintiffs are Jason Alford, Daniel Loper, Michael McKenzie, Jamize Olawale, Alex Parsons, Charles Sims, Eric Smith, Joey Thomas and Lance Zeno.

Smith played seven seasons as a defensive back for the New York Jets and said in the lawsuit that he had 13 documented traumatic brain injuries in that time.

Smith shared Thursday that he has blacked out and woken up bleeding with “holes in the wall.”

“My wife and kids are crying,” he said. “I went down a dark path.”

The lawsuit is notable at the end of a season that saw Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffer multiple documented concussions — including one just days after he was cleared too soon from the league’s concussion protocol — and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffer cardiac arrest on the field of a game that was eventually abandoned.

One of the lawyers representing the players is Christopher Seeger, who in 2012 worked on the class-action lawsuit in which ex-players accused the NFL of not sufficiently protecting them from concussions and their related dangers. That case has been settled and has paid out more than $1 billion to affected retirees.

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Reuters in a statement that the disability plan in question has provided more than $330 million to eligible players, and that their standards were developed via consultation with experts in occupational, mental and physical health.

“The NFL-NFLPA disability plan is fair and administered by a professional staff overseen by a board comprised of an equal number of appointees of the NFL Players Association and the league, which includes retired players,” McCarthy wrote.

“This board reviews the activities of the office and operation of the benefit program, including every contested application for benefits, to ensure that retired players who are entitled to disability benefits receive them as intended.”

–Field Level Media

The Buffalo Bills gather while CPR is administered to Damar Hamlin at the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023.

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Bills-Bengals canceled; NFL to consider neutral-site AFC title game

The Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game that was halted Monday when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin experienced a cardiac arrest on the field will not be resumed or replayed, the NFL announced Thursday night.

As a result, the Bills and Bengals will have their postseason positions determined based on their winning percentage for a 16-game season rather than the 17-game slot played by all other NFL teams.

Due to the resulting disparity, the league recommended changes to playoff ramifications that team owners will consider in a special league meeting Friday. Chiefly, the AFC Championship Game would be played at a neutral site if the home team for that contest ordinarily would have been settled in part by the result of the now-canceled game.

“This has been a very difficult week,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country. We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them.”

The league noted in its announcement that no teams will make the playoffs or be eliminated from contention based on the Bills-Bengals game being canceled. The NFL also decided against postponing the entire playoff slate just to make up the game in Cincinnati.

By announcing the decision on the fate of the halted game prior to the Week 18 slate that will conclude the regular season on Sunday, the NFL said that all teams now will enter their finales knowing exactly what scenarios are in play.

The AFC title game would be played at a neutral site if any of three possibilities occur:

–If Buffalo (12-3) and Kansas City (13-3) both win or tie this weekend, a Bills-Chiefs championship game would be held at a neutral site.

–If the Bills and Chiefs both lose this weekend and the Baltimore Ravens (10-6) win or tie, a Buffalo-Kansas City championship game would be played at a neutral site.

–If the Bills and Chiefs both lose and Bengals win, Buffalo-Kansas City or Cincinnati-Kansas City AFC title game would be held at a neutral site.

In addition, if the Ravens defeat the Bengals (11-4) on Sunday, giving Baltimore a season sweep of Cincinnati, the teams would end with the same number of wins, but the Bengals would have fewer losses. Should those teams wind up facing off in a wild-card game, the NFL will hold a coin toss to determine the home team.

The site of any other wild-card game involving either of those teams would be determined per standard procedure.

“As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities,” Goodell said in a statement. “I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential equitable issues created by the difficult, but necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances.”

–Field Level Media

The Buffalo Bills gather while CPR is administered to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) after a play in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Roger Goodell offers mental health resources, Week 18 update

No changes were made to the Week 18 NFL schedule as the league prepares to navigate next steps toward returning to the playing field.

Commissioner Roger Goodell outlined evolving plans Tuesday in a memo sent to the NFL’s 32 teams, relaying the league position to not resume, at least this week, Monday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

Goodell, who has autonomy in such decisions but said he is consulting the NFLPA, said the NFL remains in constant contact with both teams and medical officials at University of Cincinnati Medical Center regarding the condition of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Hamlin, 24, was resuscitated on the field by on-site medical personnel after collapsing due to cardiac arrest. The game was postponed in the first quarter after Hamlin was transported by ambulance.

The Bills said Tuesday afternoon Hamlin was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at UCMC.

“After speaking with both teams and NFLPA leadership, I decided to postpone last night’s game and have our focus remain on Damar and his family,” Goodell said in the memo.

“Earlier today, the head of player engagement and team clinician for each club received information from Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti about mental health and support resources that are available to your players and staff. Additional resources including on-site services can be available for any club that wishes this assistance. If your club would like to make use of these additional resources, please have your player engagement lead or team clinician contact Dr. NiiLampti.

“A short time ago, and after discussions with the two teams and the NFLPA, we advised Buffalo and Cincinnati that last night’s game will not be resumed this week. No decision has been made regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date and we have not announced any changes to this weekend’s schedule. We will promptly advise all clubs of any decisions that are made regarding these matters. If you have any questions in the meantime, please call me or any of our senior staff.”

Multiple games scheduled for Sunday involve playoff berths and playoff seeding. Cincinnati is scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens, a game that could determine the AFC North division. The outcome of the Monday game against the Bills was intended to be the guide for the kickoff time of this week’s game.

The Bengals, Bills and Kansas City Chiefs — scheduled for the first game of Week 18 on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas — are vying for the top spot in the AFC.

Buffalo and the New England Patriots are scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday. That game also impacts the AFC playoff picture.

AFC South rivals Tennessee and Jacksonville can both make the playoffs depending on the outcome of other games, but the winner of their Saturday night rematch wins the division and hosts a postseason game the following weekend.

The Titans were one of the few teams who went about their normal workday business on Tuesday. But head coach Mike Vrabel said he first invited players to a team meeting and discussion about Hamlin.

–Field Level Media

Jan 2, 2020; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder speaks during the introductory press conference for head coach Ron Rivera at Inova Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

House Committee: Daniel Snyder allowed toxic culture, NFL aided in cover-up

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder suppressed evidence that he and team executives sexually harassed women who worked at the team for over two decades, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform said Thursday in its final report after a nearly 14-month investigation.

In a 79-page report released Thursday, the Committee detailed the decades-long toxic workplace culture of the Washington franchise, the NFL’s response to the conduct and the league’s burial of a 2020-21 probe of the Commanders’ workplace led by attorney Beth Wilkinson.

The Committee’s report also notes the NFL was complicit in Snyder’s efforts against cooperating with the inquiry and was aware of the interference with the Wilkinson Investigation but failed to take action. It said the league’s mishandling of the investigation reflected “a broader pattern of failing to take workplace misconduct seriously.”

The report also detailed that Snyder “permitted and participated” in the franchise’s toxic work culture and went to great lengths to obstruct the Committee’s inquiry.

“Mr. Snyder was invited to testify at a public hearing but refused to appear and then sought to avoid service of a subpoena while abroad with his yacht,” per the report. “Mr. Snyder ultimately sat for a private deposition but failed to provide full and complete testimony. Over the course of the deposition, he claimed more than 100 times that he could not recall the answers to the Committee’s questions, including basic inquiries about his role as Team owner and multiple allegations of misconduct. Mr. Snyder also gave misleading testimony about his efforts to interfere with the Wilkinson Investigation.”

The report also chastised the NFL for failing to prevent Snyder from interfering with its investigation and for failing to address his conduct.

“The NFL chose to bury Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and whitewash the misconduct it uncovered,” the committee’s report said. “Rather than seek real accountability, the NFL aligned its legal interests with Mr. Snyder’s, failed to curtail his abusive tactics, and buried the investigation’s findings.”

An NFL spokesman told ESPN that the league had not seen the report and would not comment.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2022; Munich, Germany; Large helmets of the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants during fan activation event at Odeonsplatz. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell: ‘At least’ 3 more games coming to Germany

Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed Saturday that more NFL games are coming to Germany.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks will play the league’s first regular-season contest in the country on Sunday at Allianz Arena in Munich.

The NFL has committed to playing one more game in Germany in each of the next three seasons through 2025.

Goodell told a fan forum on Saturday that he “wouldn’t be surprised if it expanded beyond that at some point soon,” per the Associated Press.

Germany is the NFL’s top market in Europe. More than 800,000 fans entered a queue to try to get tickets for Sunday’s game, according to Brett Gosper, head of NFL Europe and U.K.

Munich and Frankfurt each will host two games under the current agreement.

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2021; London, England, United Kingdom;  fans look on during a game featuring the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

NFL uniforms to include international flair in Weeks 4, 5

More than 200 NFL players, coaches and executives will recognize their heritages by wearing the flag of their nationality over the next two weeks.

Players have the option to wear a decal of the flag of another country on their helmets, alongside the American flag, provided they lived there for at least two years or have a parent or grandparent born there, the league said Wednesday. Coaches and executives will wear a pin on their game-day attire.

The NFL will be on the international stage the next two weeks as the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints meet Sunday in London. The New York Giants and Green Bay Packers will square off in the same city in Week 5.

“The NFL is proud of the extensive collection of nationalities and heritage of its players across the League,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We recognize the many cultures they represent and the excitement they bring to their home fans, which ultimately helps grow our game.”

More than 50 countries and territories will be represented.

Among the players to wear a foreign flag will be receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions, whose helmet will bear the flag of Germany.

“My mom is from Germany, so having German grandparents, speaking German, every summer the heritage and culture has been a part of my whole life. I’m half German. It’s a part of me. I love it,” he said. “In my young career, I have already been amazed to see the influence my culture and heritage has had and I’m excited to continue to see the German representation have an impact within our game.”

Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots is among the coaches will wear a flag pin. He will celebrate his Croatian heritage.

–Field Level Media

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning as the nineteenth overall pick to the New Orleans Saints during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell believes ‘Sunday Ticket’ will land with a streaming service

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview Friday that the “NFL Sunday Ticket” package will be heading to a streaming service, with a final decision coming by this fall.

“These discussions have been going on for well over a year,” Goodell told CNBC. “It’s an important decision for us because these assets are really valuable to us. I clearly believe we’ll be moving to a streaming service. I think that’s best for the consumers at this stage.

“But we have so much interest right now and there’s so much innovation around that and how we’re going to be able to change the way people watch football. I think we’ll probably have some decision by the fall.”

Sunday Ticket, the package that lets consumers watch out-of-market NFL games, debuted in 1994. DirecTV has been the exclusive carrier since its launch, but its contract expires after the 2022 NFL season.

When the deal with the satellite provider ends, a streamer will takes its place. Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and ESPN+ have all reportedly bid for the rights. The New York Post reported last November that HBO Max could be a dark horse in the race.

Goodell also announced that the league was debuting its own direct-to-consumer streaming service, NFL+, in time for the 2022 season. He did not go into detail about the type of content the new platform would offer.

–Field Level Media

Nov 3, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder looks on prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Congress: Commanders owner Dan Snyder conducted ‘shadow’ probe

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder conducted a “shadow investigation” into allegations that he oversaw a toxic workplace culture, according to a document released Wednesday by a Congressional committee.

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Reform issued a 29-page memo, supported by more than 600 pages of depositions, based on its eight-month investigation.

Among the findings, the report alleges Snyder attempted to discredit former employees who made accusations of workplace sexual harassment and also hired private investigators to intimidate witnesses.

Snyder, 57, declined an invitation to testify before the committee, saying he would be out of town for business.

Committee chair Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) said Wednesday that she will subpoena Snyder to appear.

“The NFL is unwilling or unable to hold Mr. Snyder accountable,” Maloney said. “That is why I am announcing now my intent to issue a subpoena for Mr. Snyder for a deposition next week. The committee will not be deterred in its investigation into the Washington Commanders.”

The NFL fined the Commanders $10 million in June 2021 following an investigation led by Beth Wilkinson. Snyder stepped away from day-to-day operations at that time.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified for more than two hours before the committee on Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) asked Goodell if the NFL planned to take further actions against Snyder.

“I don’t have the authority to remove him, Congresswoman,” Goodell said.

An owner can only be removed by a three-quarters majority vote (24 of 32) of fellow owners, although Goodell does have the authority to recommend a vote.

“It is clear to me that the workplace in Washington was unprofessional and unacceptable in numerous respects: bullying, widespread disrespect toward colleagues, use of demeaning language, public embarrassment, and harassment,” Goodell said in his prepared opening remarks.

“… The workplace at the Commanders today bears no resemblance to the workplace that has been described to this committee.”

–Field Level Media