That Aud Smell

Ain't no education like OTJ education. It occurs to me - JBOT and Beane look and act the part of GMs who are also able to serve as senior executive officers in a Pegula-owned operation. My hope and prayer is that they can do it, and do it exceptionally well.

Ha.

Yes she is. Like, literally. p.s. It's a little strange that she is not listed as an owner of the Bills. To my ear, the tone of this is part of what I've been talking about. She owns the team(s). As a result, I just presume that she'll be doing whatever she has a mind to do.

You know. I'm not too proud to admit that there's some ... irony in that Kim was, at some point or another (prior to being hired? after?), dating the boss. That doesn't necessarily shed a bit of light on the Brandon situation. But, oh, world. You are so complicated.

one of the more notable things on his highlight reel is how PISSED he was when, on one play, he'd made 3 spectacular moves, but then could not finish with a goal. he slammed his stick into the boards, angrily jumped into the bench area, took a seat and put his head down in a rage.

There's nuance here, but I think this misses the point (or at least suggests the point is being missed).

OY. complete and utter and total board fail: ENGAGE. Maybe, maybe, maybe there are weird and uncommon reasons that can be conjured to potentially contextualize and even excuse the guy's behaviour. Or maybe the simplest, most straightforward, most plausible, and, frankly, most substantiated explanation obtains. Maybe.

^ is a good take.

I appreciate the response. I probably fail to appreciate the extent to which I have information (much of it second-hand, some of it third-hand) on which I have chosen to rely, and that others here have little or no such information (or they've heard the same information and choose not to credit it). What I would point out, again, is that an external firm of some kind - probably a law firm (maybe a white shoe firm - one other than the firm that does most/all of PSE's local work right now) - prepared a report following an internal investigation. Kim Pegula confronted Brandon with the report. Brandon denied the findings and, it appears, demonstrably lied about certain findings (e.g., there were texts or emails from him that rebutted what he had claimed). The Pegulas then issued a post-separation statement that made no mention of Brandon -- a guy who'd worked for the team for 20 years. If, in light of that, someone thinks it's an open question as to what Brandon did or did not do, then, really, Godspeed.

I figured.

Fixed. It changes nothing for me.

That Stanford DT was on WGR this morning. Dude was impressive as all get-out. Hopefully it translates to the field in the NFL.

This sounds right. As for the uniform culture, I agree. It's not one that resonates with me, but I think it very well may work out for them. Small tangent: I heard that Stanford DT on WGR this morning. Holy shnikes does he fit in with the culture they're trying to build. And I'll say: Dude was impressive.

Um - okay. I'll be clear on this, from my view: People who run around on their spouses are not people you can trust. If a person will set aside a solemn vow to their spouse, they're apt to break or forget promises or pledges they've made to you in some other context. I've seen that proven over and over again in my own life.

I appreciate the words of support. And, please: Call me Smell. Those exchanges read like they'd been prepared for a script to a corporate training.

Steamrolling might be strong, but I'll allow it. And agree with d4rk.

sorry, not sorry.

I wish Kim well, and hope for the best. My hope is that she will surround herself with trustworthy, smart people, and recognize where her limitations are. I mostly don't care for her apparent tastes in matters creative, but I think she can be a good chief officer.

The two of them are about the same age. Here's what he has posted to his LinkedIn -- it's a varied and impressive career in sports management: I joined the Golden Knights after spending 13 years with the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization. Since 2013, I was the franchise’s President of Business Operations, where I was responsible for the oversight of ticket and suite sales; corporate sponsorship revenue; broadcasting, marketing and communications; fan and community engagement; digital and social engagement; and box office operations. I also served as President and Alternate Governor for all franchise property teams owned by the Cavaliers Operating Company, including the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League and the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League. Prior to my tenure in Cleveland, I enjoyed successful runs with multiple teams in various leagues around the country. I spent time as the Vice President of Sales for both the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League and Southwest Sports Group, which includes the Dallas Stars of the NHL and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Before that, I held a variety of roles during a six-year run with the International Hockey League’s, Cleveland Lumberjacks, including: team President, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Operations. I think we're losing sight of who the real victim here might be.

Stop. He might actually be the victim here. A victim of the Black Widow and her insatiable quest for power.

I'll log off before that happens. We've been around this mulberry bush before.

"He goes left to the hockey department and I go right to marketing, content, media, PR, all that stuff. So we found our groove and found the things that we were better at." Or, as you put it, "business offices." She and Terry agree that she is better suited to running their teams' businesses than he is. I won't chase my tail on this. Horses, water, and such.

I'll submit that fans are not apt to impose the same sort of criteria on male owners who assume the mantle of president. I'll also note that there are a half-dozen implications above that just make me SMDH. Kim is a 1991 graduate of Houghton. She majored in communications, evidently. I think you gotta do more than Wiki her to learn that, though. Looks like you saved the best for last -- she's where she is because of "romantic leanings." Lord save us. Saints preserve us. Here's a thought experiment: A large part of what Terry was attracted to in her were qualities, talents, and skills that will translate well to business administration. A human touch. An unwillingness to suffer fools. Honesty. Diligence. And so on. Anyhoo. She's part owner of the team. And with that come all rights and privileges associated with that status. I have my own concerns over whether she's in over her head. But I'd feel the same way about Terry (more so in fact), and I used to think the same about Ralph. I also think she can't help but be an improvement over Brandon.

I'm not sure I understand your point(s). It matters to me that Russ Brandon is a proverbial POS. The kind of person he is, and the actions he's taken, are quite relevant to what I think of him and what I think of his role as president of my hometown teams. I do not consider the information on which I rely to be unproven. Far from it. The existence of a formal internal investigation report only solidifies my belief in what I've heard and learned over the years. I also think you fail to apprehend that there's no clean distinction between Russ Brandon the philandering, quid pro quo'ing with sales execs (or whomever) human POS and Russ Brandon the team president. He's the same person in both settings -- spreading his unique brand of toxicity whither he goes. I haven't let it go in the past. And now that he's got his comeuppance, you're not apt to see me let it go until I've had my fill of sweet, sweet schadenfreude.