BATAVIA, N.Y. (WBEN) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he's supportive of Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula's efforts in addressing the football stadium in Orchard Park.
"I want the Bills to be successful and I want them to continue to be competitive here in Buffalo," Goodell said Monday while at the Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic.
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Pegula Sports and Entertainment announced last November a private partnership with CAA Icon to study the football stadium and hockey arena. The study will play a key role in determining whether or not the Bills will continue to play at its current stadium or move to a new stadium, possibly in downtown Buffalo.
Goodell said that stadiums are important to the competitiveness of its players but also the fans.
"The fans expect a higher quality stadium than they did 20 years ago," the commissioner said. "More technology and more of the things that will bring them out of their homes and go to a football game."
Whether the team moves is still up for debate. The commissioner said past leases were negotiated with the idea of examining stadium options. The Bills have four years remaining on its current ten-year lease.
"We'll continue to work with the various public officials as well as private officials and see what the right solution is," he said.
Goodell commended the Pegula's commitment to the Buffalo community and said the Bills owners have taken a long-term approach since purchasing the team in 2014.
As for why the NFL doesn't just build a new stadium for the Bills?