Terry Pegula is ALLEGED to have said something very foul in the Jim Trotter lawsuit against the NFL

[Bray Wyatt]

I may be wrong, but this doesn't seem like something Terry would say based on all of the public stuff I have seen of him over the years. I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt for now and see if there is any veracity to the complaint

[Coach Tuesday]

Just now, Chris farley said:

he is probably filing a slander lawsuit as we speak.

 

 

 

He can't, because statements in a Complaint are protected.  He'd have to sue Wigdor for violating his ethical duties to investigate, like Leon Black did.

[Brother Hesekiah]

2 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

 

The two key for me are that the lawsuit directly quotes Pegula. It doesn't say, "is reported to have said" or "was suggested". He's quoted verbatim. However, Pegula has come out quickly to rebuke the accusation.

 

If Pegula is found out to be lying he will be hauled over the coals and rightly so. If it's Trotter, probably nothing will happen.

The only source for that quote is the plaintiff himself. We'll see if there is any evidence to substantiate it.  

[teef]

did he say anything about italians?

[Low Positive]

Just now, Brother Hesekiah said:

The only source for that quote is the plaintiff himself. We'll see if there is any evidence to substantiate it.  

Actually, the plaintiff was told this by another NFL Media reporter.

[Simon]

1 minute ago, teef said:

did he say anything about italians?

 

They go without saying.....

[Brother Hesekiah]

1 minute ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

Because it is, frankly, completely reckless, irresponsible, and inexplicable to completely make up quotes and attribute them to someone without justification in a lawsuit. It's legal suicide. And if he did take the irrational step to make up quotes, why would he pick Pegula to attribute them to? Of all the owners, why would he pick Pegula to target?

 

This isn't some wild take. I think it's more likely than not to be true, unfortunately, but unless there is a recording, it's not surprising at all that Terry would deny. That would be expected, unless he were more committed to telling the truth than keeping his name clean.

Did you forget the Araiza case already? People can put whatever they want into a court filing. There will be legal consequences if they knowingly make false statements, but by the time that happens the public damage has already been done. 

[UKBillFan]

2 minutes ago, Pecos Bills said:

Here's some of the fuller text from the lawsuit, in which an NFL Media reporter describes a separate conversation with Pegula:

 

126. During the meeting, an NFL Media reporter described a conversation he had with Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula in which Mr. Pegula was speaking about the recent emphasis on social activism by NFL players, and in particular support for Black Lives Matter.

127. As reported, Mr. Pegula stated that, “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” 

 

https://www.wigdorlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Trotter-Complaint.pdf

 

So Trotter heard it second hand from another reporter? Or Trotter was the reporter Pegula reportedly said it to?

 

Either way it sounds like hearsay, so not sure how it will stand up to scrutiny, and probably why the NFL didn't act. Unless there were other witnesses who were ignored.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

8 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

YIKES.

I'm not shocked that society can't have a meaningful discussion about institutional racism when actual - "GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM" xenophobia just goes straight through folks in 2023.

So from that comment you assume Terry Pegula dislikes black people?

 

IMO that’s part of what’s wrong. It’s an insensitive comment. Out of touch comment. I don’t believe it’s a hateful comment.

[Success]

This is kind of hard to believe.  It doesn't even sound like a real quote - more like a cartoonish version of "things a racist might say."

 

 

 

[mannc]

1 minute ago, TheBrownBear said:

I doubt there is or it would likely be noted in the complaint (or it honestly would have already been leaked and the case settled).  You throw everything out there in the complaint and hope public opinion applies enough pressure to get the NFL to settle.

Sometimes it’s better to hold things back; once something has been released publicly, the party who released it usually loses leverage if settlement is this goal.

[LeviF]

Just now, UKBillFan said:

 

So Trotter heard it second hand from another reporter? Or Trotter was the reporter Pegula reportedly said it to?

 

Either way it sounds like hearsay, so not sure how it will stand up to scrutiny, and probably why the NFL didn't act. Unless there were other witnesses who were ignored.

 

He heard it secondhand during some kind of NFL media zoom call. The media member who allegedly actually heard this brought it up.

[pocoboy]

1 minute ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

He's an awkward billionaire who has a history of putting his foot in his mouth. I can absolutely see him saying something like this.

 

Yeah his immediate refuting is going to be the downfall I'm afraid. Unless he didn't say it, which seems unlikely based on the way this was handled. Feel like honestly owning the comment and offering a regretful apology would have been more prudent if in fact he did say it.

[C.Biscuit97]

41 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

1. Frankly I don't believe it fully; Trotter is literally filing a lawsuit over Affirmative Action hiring which in itself is a idiotic situation to begin with.

 

2. Depending on the actual question this racial statement may not exactly be "bad" For all we know Trotter asked him about players backing the BLM riots that burned and looted towns. In that case this supposed statement is far less wrong.

 

3. The Pegulas have been very open and willing to hire, sign and acquire black players and staff as well as support community efforts in the region in regards to minorities. So the statement itself seems very out of character and/or at most an answer that comes from endless badgering or biased reporting.

😂

 

Based on this, I’m sure you find a way to defend it if Pegula said it. 
 

and you always wait for both sides and don’t want to rush to judgment. I really couldn’t see him saying this. If he didn’t, he should countersue because this is a pretty damning accusation.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

15 minutes ago, Pecos Bills said:

Here's the full complaint FYI:

 

https://www.wigdorlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Trotter-Complaint.pdf

 

Full Pegula details start on page 31.  Allegedly was reported by another NFL media person during a zoom meeting in 2020, doesn't sound likely there's any direct audio/video of Pegula saying it.

Sounds like there were others in the meeting so should be easy to confirm either way

Quote

NFL Takes No Action in Response to Racist Conduct by Buffalo Bills Team Owner Terry Pegula; Complaints “Swept Under the Rug.”
125. On September 3, 2020, a large NFL Media zoom meeting was held which included approximately 40 newsroom employees. The purpose of the meeting, during the middle of the pandemic, was to connect people who were not working together in-person and discuss various stories people were working on.
126. During the meeting, an NFL Media reporter described a conversation he had with Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula in which Mr. Pegula was speaking about the recent emphasis on social activism by NFL players, and in particular support for Black Lives Matter.
127. As reported, Mr. Pegula stated that, “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” This remark was so offensive and racist that the people in the meeting appeared to be frozen, unsure how to even react.
128. Mr. Trotter would not stand by and spoke up. In front of everyone in attendance, Mr. Trotter asked Mr. Marvel and Mr. Sperry if there was going to be a discussion about what Mr. Pegula had said given that it was so highly offensive and racist. They responded that they would speak to the reporter about it further and decide how to handle the matter.
 31

Case 1:23-cv-08055 Document 1 Filed 09/12/23 Page 32 of 53
129. Thereafter, Mr. Trotter sought out Mr. Marvel and Mr. Jurenka on a near weekly basis about what was being done to address Mr. Pegula’s discriminatory remarks. Mr. Trotter was repeatedly brushed off and told that “the league office is investigating it.”
130. However, this went on for months and Mr. Trotter never received any further update beyond this superficial statement. Notably, no one from the NFL’s league office ever reached out to Mr. Trotter to interview him in connection with any supposed “investigation” that was supposedly ongoing. Clearly it was not a priority to investigate an NFL team owner’s discriminatory animus and discriminatory remarks in conversations with employees.
131. Nearly one year after the incident, Mr. Marvel told Mr. Trotter that the league had provided him with a response. He told Mr. Trotter: “New York says it’s an HR matter and that’s the end of it.”
132. Thus, in response to an allegation by an employee (the reporter) and complaint by another employee (Mr. Trotter) that an NFL owner (an employer) made racist remarks that ridiculed Black players (also employees) for their social activism, the NFL did absolutely nothing.
133. Mr. Trotter said to Mr. Marvel, “So we are sweeping this under the rug?” Mr. Marvel responded, “I can only tell you what I’ve been told.”

 

[Low Positive]

1 minute ago, Success said:

This is kind of hard to believe.  It doesn't even sound like a real quote - more like a cartoonish version of "things a racist might say."

 

 

 

The temperature was really high in the summer of 2020 in more ways than one.

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

18 minutes ago, Pecos Bills said:

Here's the full complaint FYI:

 

https://www.wigdorlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Trotter-Complaint.pdf

 

Full Pegula details start on page 31.  Allegedly was reported by another NFL media person during a zoom meeting in 2020, doesn't sound likely there's any direct audio/video of Pegula saying it.

Would be shocked if there isn't a recording of a Zoom meeting of NFL owners 

[BullBuchanan]

1 minute ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

So from that comment you assume Terry Pegula dislikes black people?

 

IMO that’s part of what’s wrong. It’s an insensitive comment. Out of touch comment. I don’t believe it’s a hateful comment.

you don't have to dislike black people to be racist. How is it anything other than hateful? He's combining two forms of hate at the same time - classism and racism. He's telling employees they should be grateful to be in his employ and if they don't like it, go back to an ancestral country where they were forced to leave.

What do you think racism is?

[Bray Wyatt]

3 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

Sounds like there were others in the meeting so should be easy to confirm either way

 

 

Yeah sounds like there were 40 other people, should be easy for someone to come out and support one side or the other

[Chaos]

At one point in history it was accepted that every human hold prejudices of some sort.  And we were taught you can't act on your prejudices, you have to overcome that.  Anti-discrimination laws are based on actions, not thoughts.   To be Mr. Pegula's comments (if he made them) are relevent to support an allegation he took some discrimantory action.   But if there is no discriminatory action he too, I am not sure we need to be invoking the thought police to govern his thinking and speech. (even if it is a stupid thing to say)

[C.Biscuit97]

20 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I don’t think the comment was even racist. It was an incredibly dumb and insensitive comment.

Telling black players, who aren’t from Africa, to go Africa isn’t bad? If someone said that to his kids and told them to go to Korea, how do you think Kim would feel about it?

 

[Simon]

1 minute ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Telling black players, who aren’t from Africa, to go Africa isn’t bad? If someone said that to his kids and told them to go to Korea, how do you think Kim would feel about it?

 

 

Better than "Go back to Olean"?

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

13 minutes ago, Pecos Bills said:

Here's some of the fuller text from the lawsuit, in which an NFL Media reporter describes a separate conversation with Pegula:

 

126. During the meeting, an NFL Media reporter described a conversation he had with Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula in which Mr. Pegula was speaking about the recent emphasis on social activism by NFL players, and in particular support for Black Lives Matter.

127. As reported, Mr. Pegula stated that, “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” 

 

https://www.wigdorlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Trotter-Complaint.pdf

Okay, so this is third-hand information? That definitely changes things.

[Buddy Hix]

Well I was wrong when I thought yesterday was rock bottom in Buffalo.

 

If true, Terry gotta go.

[Drew21PA]

10 minutes ago, Brother Hesekiah said:

Did you forget the Araiza case already? People can put whatever they want into a court filing. There will be legal consequences if they knowingly make false statements, but by the time that happens the public damage has already been done. 

Yep and I’d this gains traction Terry is guilty.  It’s the way it is anymore 

[McDeerInTheHeadlights]

5 minutes ago, LeviF said:

 

He heard it secondhand during some kind of NFL media zoom call. The media member who allegedly actually heard this brought it up.

 

Since it allegedly happened during a video call, I would ask the "media member" if he remembers Terry doing anything in particular while making that statement. If the witness mentions anything about nose blowing and picking, he is likely saying the truth and Terry is guilty. 

[C.Biscuit97]

1 minute ago, Buffalo619 said:

I see no problem with this statement. 

Says a lot about you 

[Pecos Bills]

12 minutes ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

Would be shocked if there isn't a recording of a Zoom meeting of NFL owners 

NFL owners meetings are often intended to be confidential:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/sports/nfl-owners-kaepernick.html

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-owners-reportedly-bashed-trump-over-anthem-agenda-in-secret-meeting-last-year/

Edited September 12, 2023 by Pecos Bills

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

As an aside this lawsuit reads like a laundry list of anything he could dig up in recent history … real or alleged. 

also… 8/32 GMs are black and that signifies racism? That over indexes the population by 2x. 

 

Also the named nfl executives seem to demonstrate diversity.

 

deconstructing his thesis, it sounds something like the % make up of ownership, front offices, etc should be the same proportionate to the locker room- if not discriminatory. 

 

[Phils n Bills]

4 minutes ago, Chaos said:

At one point in history it was accepted that every human hold prejudices of some sort.  And we were taught you can't act on your prejudices, you have to overcome that.  Anti-discrimination laws are based on actions, not thoughts.   To be Mr. Pegula's comments (if he made them) are relevent to support an allegation he took some discrimantory action.   But if there is no discriminatory action he too, I am not sure we need to be invoking the thought police to govern his thinking and speech. (even if it is a stupid thing to say)

I have prejudices against people that chew their food way too loudly, use speakerphone in public, and wait until the very last second to merge when a lane ends. 

[Wayne Arnold]

4 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Racism to me is hateful action or speech.

 

I don’t think the comment is meant to be hateful.

 

"If the black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it really is."

 

This is a statement of power and privilege. As a billionaire he perceives the United States as a perfect meritocracy system that cannot and should not be improved upon or changed. Progress that would improve the lives of poor and working class Americans is a threat to him and his power and therefore should be denied.

 

If you're trying to improve the system then you must be trying to take power away from him which could certainly result in statements like "Oh, you don't like how it is here? Then get out and go back to the craphole your kind came from and see how you like it there instead."

 

If that's not hateful I don't know what is.

[Yobogoya!]

13 minutes ago, Pecos Bills said:

Here's some of the fuller text from the lawsuit, in which an NFL Media reporter describes a separate conversation with Pegula:

 

126. During the meeting, an NFL Media reporter described a conversation he had with Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula in which Mr. Pegula was speaking about the recent emphasis on social activism by NFL players, and in particular support for Black Lives Matter.

127. As reported, Mr. Pegula stated that, “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” 

 

https://www.wigdorlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Trotter-Complaint.pdf

 

We're supposed to believe Pegula not only said this out loud... but said it DIRECTLY to an NFL Media Reporter?

 

Just a couple years after Jerry Richardson was forced to sell his own team? 

[Livinginthepast]

This guy accusing him better have a recording of him saying that. Pretty horrendous if true and really out of character for Terry.

[Coach Tuesday]

4 minutes ago, Buffalo619 said:

I see no problem with this statement. 

Then you’re a proud racist.

[LeviF]

1 minute ago, McDeerInTheHeadlights said:

 

Since it allegedly happened during a video call, I would ask the "media member" if he remembers Terry doing anything in particular while making that statement. If the witness mentions anything about nose blowing and picking, he is likely saying the truth and Terry is guilty. 

 

That's not what it says:

 

Quote

During the meeting, an NFL Media reporter described a conversation he had with Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula in which Mr. Pegula was speaking about the recent emphasis on social activism by NFL players, and in particular support for Black Lives Matter

 

"A conversation." So a phone call, in person, zoom, could be anything.

[Blank Stare]

I’m not saying he did, but IF he did say it, I hope to hell he didn’t mean it and it was simply a terrible slip of the tongue. However, if it’s proven that he did say it, then he deserves everything coming to him. Especially, saying something like that in that quasi-public setting and after the swift public denial. 
 

If I recall correctly, I don’t believe this is the first time we’ve heard that Pegula has been linked to some questionable commentary.  That said, while it seems a bit out of character (and, frankly, completely out of touch), would it really surprise anyone if he did say it? Historically, the NFL hasn’t exactly been leading the charge on the social (in)justice front. At least until they either were forced to or they finally started listening to the players’ experiences. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Blank Stare

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, oldmanfan said:

Ok,IF he said this there is no defense.  But we'll see where things go from here.  Terry will have to address this privately with the team.

 

Not with the Sabres!!!

 

Phew!

[AuntieEm]

10 minutes ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

He's an awkward billionaire who has a history of putting his foot in his mouth. I can absolutely see him saying something like this.

 I ant ßee Terry saying it.  I also don't believe Terry is a racist.  Racists typically don't marry a person they would consider to be of a inferior race and then have inferior offspring with that spouse.  And yes one of his daughters did date Jason Croom a black player.  Racists also typically will raise their offspring to hold similar views so that also kinda decreases the likelihood that Terry is a closet racist.  

 

I think this trotter guy thought he had a sure fire way to get promoted to becoming the newsroom manager and he play the race card because that was easier than actually earning a position he coveted.  

[Simon]

7 minutes ago, Buffalo619 said:

I see no problem with this statement. 

 

This should go well for you.....

 

Do you want me to toss you now, or would you rather trash the thread with a bunch of idiotic socio-political commentary first?

[Low Positive]

6 minutes ago, Chaos said:

At one point in history it was accepted that every human hold prejudices of some sort.  And we were taught you can't act on your prejudices, you have to overcome that.  Anti-discrimination laws are based on actions, not thoughts.   To be Mr. Pegula's comments (if he made them) are relevent to support an allegation he took some discrimantory action.   But if there is no discriminatory action he too, I am not sure we need to be invoking the thought police to govern his thinking and speech. (even if it is a stupid thing to say)

His argument is that he was fired because the NFL is full of racists. That is an action. These statements are meant to corroborate that allogation. Notice that he is not suing Terry Pegula.