Last Thursday night, Buffalo Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula hosted an emotional company-wide “town hall” meeting on Zoom in which several of the organization’s prominent black employees were encouraged to address the group.
Those who spoke included defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, defensive end Jerry Hughes, retired linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and director of player engagement and alumni Marlon Kerner, as well as Pastor Kenneth Simmons of Cold Springs Bible Chapel in Buffalo. They took turns sharing their life experiences and how they feel as black men in America, with the death of George Floyd and ensuing weeks of worldwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality serving as catalyst.
“Being both female and Asian, I always kind of considered myself a minority,” Kim Pegula told The Buffalo News this week. “But the murder of George Floyd, that really focused on another and a bigger issue that was more than just diversity. As someone who I thought was a big supporter in this space about racial equality and social injustices, I learned a lot, and I’m still learning a lot about that space.”
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Less than 48 hours after the town hall, the Bills’ social media accounts posted a black heart emoji and a photo taken outside New Era Field, where the signs on the marquees at each gate read: “BLACK LIVES MATTER.”
Several thousand comments flooded in, with mixed reactions. The Bills are in the same position as other businesses and community institutions, trying to figure out the right thing to do, even if it is unpopular with some of their supporters, who accuse the organization of bowing to political correctness.
“Obviously, doing the right thing should be the only consideration. Taking a stance against and confronting unfairness, inequality, oppression and racism,” Charles Lindsey, an associate professor in marketing at the University at Buffalo, wrote in an email to The News. “However, let's face it, when it comes to sports leagues, enterprises and organizations, we know that these decisions can also be impacted by a myriad of other factors such as image and PR considerations, etc.”
No company wants to be the next CrossFit, which last week had affiliated gyms nationwide seek to re-brand after incendiary comments by its CEO and founder.
'All Lives Matter'
The blowback on the Bills’ social media accounts was swift.
"Shut up and play football,” one fan posted on Facebook. “You're losing your fan base to situational ethics. Do and say what you want on your time, I don't support my team to hear your views. You get paid to play football, so go do that.”
"All lives matter,” wrote another, “the NFL has lost me now. I get history but this doesn't change it or fix it. Change is long overdue but this creates more dissension, understand that!"
"The NFL is lost, along with the NBA and Nascar!” someone else wrote. “Good luck Bills, have been a fan over 40 years...through thick and thin...but will not support you in this!"
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Posted by Buffalo Bills on Saturday, June 13, 2020
They were met with resistance from scores who wrote that they appreciated the Bills’ statement.
"I was raised on this team, and have loved them for nearly forty years through all the good, and all the bad,” one fan wrote. “Making this kind of public statement really solidifies my devotion to the Bills, and lets me know that all of the spent emotion over the years wasn't in vain.”
"Can we get the racist boomers to stop posting here? It’s a reaaaaaal bad look for WNY,” another fan wrote. “Sensible people with a good moral compass support BLM. Writing ‘all lives matter’ is beyond pathetic. These racists don’t represent Bills Mafia..."
Bills star cornerback Tre’Davious White jumped into the fray, expressing his support and appreciation for the team’s post with his verified Facebook account, writing “Definitely” with a black fist emoji, two exclamation points and "Luv."
In response to someone who wrote “All Lives Matter," White responded: "lol in order for that to be factual.. Black lives have to matter also .. which hasn't been the case for the last 401 years .. So (shrug emoji)”
Kim Pegula said she doesn’t pay attention to social media, but she wasn’t surprised to hear some of the negative sentiments.
“Honestly, I was probably one of those in the past that said, well, ‘All Lives Matter,’ ” Kim Pegula said. “And I’m now learning that ‘Black Lives Matter’ does not mean that other lives don’t matter. All they’re doing is highlighting that the black community are lives and should also be considered …
“And so I’m hoping that others, too, will take the time to say, ‘OK, what does that mean?’ ”
As for Bills fans who say they’re offended and will no longer support the team?
“All we can say is they have to do what they feel is right for them,” Kim Pegula said. “We would hate to see them go, because I think football can actually help us come together. But that’s a choice I can’t control.”
'Track record'
Mary Owusu is a former senior vice president of digital strategy and analytics at Mower, among the top marketing firms in the region, an entrepreneur at gurubound.com and a professor of digital marketing at Canisius College.
“It’ll always be very difficult to know exactly what’s behind the motives of an organization like the Buffalo Bills, to put up a ‘Black Lives Matter’ banner,” Owusu said. “What I look for, whether it’s as a professional or as a mother and a black woman: Do these companies have a track record for having taken a position about social responsibility, about human rights? Do they have that position? And most companies, by and large, don’t have a past record. That’s just the reality.
“And the NFL specifically has a track record of actually saying and demonstrating through their actions that the people that stood up years ago and said ‘Black Lives Matter’ and wanted to demonstrate … that those people were not allowed. They were breaking the rules somehow.”
It’s been four years since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee before games to protest racial inequality and police brutality, inspiring others to follow suit and getting himself blackballed from the league.
It’s been three years since President Trump called for players who protest to be fired and urged fans to boycott the league. The Bills publicly supported their players’ right to protest – a dozen Buffalo players kneeled during the anthem before the team’s next game.
A few weeks later at a meeting of NFL players, owners and executives, Terry Pegula said the NFL was battling a perception and “media problem” and that the league needed a strong spokesman, preferably a black player, to help diffuse the situation, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times.
It’s been two years since Kim Pegula, during an appearance at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, focused on the financial implications of the protests during the anthem. She said she would like to see players and owners find “common ground” that would mutually benefit their business interests.
It's been nearly three weeks since the Pegulas made their initial public statement about Floyd’s death, a week after he was killed at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis, and the ensuing civil unrest.
Some fans criticized the delay, that the statement didn’t use the word “murder” to describe Floyd’s death, that they didn’t use the word “black” or the terms “racial injustice” or “police brutality.”
Kim Pegula said the public statement followed an internal letter to all their employees.
“We just felt it was more meaningful than just a statement from us in the public, and I think that was the start of it," she said. "And then the statement came out.
“It wasn’t anything that we’re ashamed of. I’ve learned a lot. And I think one of the things I’ve learned is – it’s great to say, ‘Hey, I support social justice and Black Lives Matter and I feel everyone should be equal, including the black community and all that’ – but how deliberate are we in actually showing that? And I think that has raised the bar into how as an organization that we, not for PR bandwagon sake, but to make sure that our community knows, our employees know that it is a priority, it is the right thing to do, and that’s what you’ve kind of been seeing.”
Days later, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the league’s shortcomings and said the league supports Black Lives Matter.
We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange pic.twitter.com/ENWQP8A0sv
— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2020
Goodell did not mention Kaepernick by name, and the statement came only after his hand was forced by a collection of the league’s superstar players, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who appeared in a viral video and demanded the NFL take a stronger stance.
#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/sfwF9Uvgaa
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) June 5, 2020
“I think more important than a statement or sign outside of a stadium, and, this speaks to authenticity, is backing it up with tangible action” Lindsey, the UB professor, wrote. "This applies to the NFL as a league and to individual teams.”
It was another week before the Bills posted the Black Lives Matters signs.
“It’s one thing to say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and put the signs up,” Owusu said. “It’s a whole other thing for a company or an organization to actually do something beyond just making a statement. I’m hoping to see more from the Buffalo Bills organization as a result of putting the statement out. This statement should not be the only thing that they do, if they mean it. That’s the key, that they actually put together action steps that demonstrate that they truly do believe that Black Lives Matter.”
'We should have done it sooner'
The Pegulas followed the lead of the NFL league office and numerous professional teams in declaring Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, a company-wide holiday.
All employees have off work Friday and are encouraged to “celebrate black history and culture, seek a greater understanding of social injustice and racial inequality, and embrace our nation’s diversity,” according to a statement posted Wednesday on each of their teams’ social media accounts.
“We’re going to get a paid day off in celebration of Juneteenth, and for my race, that’s a big deal,” Frazier said, “because of what it stands for and what it meant to so many back in 1865. And for the owners of our organization to recognize that black lives do matter, and to put action behind it, man, it swells you with pride to work for the Buffalo Bills and be a part of this organization, because you know where their heart is.
"You know it’s not just rhetoric. They’re not just doing it to get publicity or to get a pat on the back. This is real. They really want to see change and they’re putting action behind it and it means a great deal.”
Kim Pegula didn’t commit to an annual holiday, but said she wants to find an appropriate way to continue to commemorate the date.
She said she wants to be diligent and ensure the team’s actions are meaningful.
“The issues that we’re facing, that’s reality,” Kim Pegula said. “And we’re doing what we feel is right for a larger audience than just football. And I think that’s how we have to look at it. We’ve learned from the past. You can’t separate. That’s the easy way out, to say football shouldn’t have anything to do with anything going on in the rest of the world or politics or all that stuff, but we’re all human beings and these are the real issues that every human being is facing – our staff, our players, our coaches. So it’s hard to separate the two.”
She said the Bills will continue to host internal “town hall” meetings.
They plan to continue sending employees from different backgrounds on paid “diversity and inclusion lunches,” a program they began last year in an effort to foster acceptance and understanding.
Coach Sean McDermott said no players have told him they intend to kneel for the national anthem this season, but he reiterated several times during a Wednesday session with reporters, "I'm going to support my players."
Kim Pegula said the Bills might leave the “Black Lives Matter” signs outside the stadium for several weeks.
“I feel bad that it’s been a little bit too long in coming …” she said. “We should have done it sooner. But we’re doing it now. We’re listening now. We’re learning now. And we’re trying to do our part to understand a different community, a different sector of our country that feels like they haven’t been heard.”
