‘"He had heard the Chargers were holding a job open for Butler," said the source, "and when Ralph gets ticked off, he lashes out."’
BillsBeat - December 20, 2000
Butler won't be easily replaced
‘The owner, two more losses removed from those comments, conceded, "As far as Wade and the coaching staff is concerned, I’m here to talk about John Butler … so I’d rather not comment." That’s hardly a vote of confidence.’
Butler Has An Extra Week To Explore His Options
‘Put it this way: The 82-year-old Wilson isn’t planning to take a cross-country flight on Christmas weekend to do sightseeing in the Pacific Northwest. The one thing he is going to take careful notice of, though, is the effort of the players.’
Butler's Firing All About Timing
‘With the San Diego Chargers poised to make Butler an offer he couldn’t refuse, and Wilson wouldn’t match … something had to be done as soon as
possible.’
Bills GM gets a present
‘By contrast, Butler used to start his day by chipping ice off the windshield and maybe listening to Ann Burke on the way to One Bills Drive.’
Impatient Bills fire GM Butler
‘"The reason for the dismissal is because John has refused to give me an answer as to his future intentions," Wilson said. "The time has come to move forward, and therefore I can wait no longer to see who will be the Bills’ general manager after this season."’
Bills owner decides Butler not interested
‘With a new season to plan for and no time to waste, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson said he couldn’t wait for an answer from John Butler any longer.’
Bills lose friend, not just GM
‘Agents reacted with shock. Butler was synonymous with the Bills and they said he bled for the team.’
Smith, Adams have an inside shot
‘Long-time personnel men A.J. Smith and Dwight Adams are among the leading candidates to replace the fired John Butler as general manager of the Buffalo Bills.’
Butler deserved better than this
‘With apologies to angry women everywhere, hell hath no fury as an NFL owner scorned.’
Temporary insanity Bills' only explanation
‘Yesterday at the Bills practice facility named after himself, Wilson stood at the podium looking for all the world like he had swallowed a lemon.’
Petty problems in locker room doomed Bills GM Butler
‘…Bills players paint a portrait of the worst quarterback controversy in recent memory, a poor work ethic and ridiculous team edicts that represent a child-care center more than a football team.’
Buffalo's stupid move
‘Listening to Wilson, it sounds as if Butler precipitated the move. But it is Wilson, not Butler, who is to blame for an exit the Bills will regret.’
BUTLER GETS THE BOOT CONTRACT FLAP LEADS WILSON TO OUST GM
‘Wilson said he needed to settle the issue due to the weighty matters facing the team this offseason, and Butler was reluctant to strike a deal. Butler, meanwhile, was eager to receive what he considers his full market value given his lofty reputation for personnel evaluation in the NFL. And it was clear from Wilson’s description of events that Butler was not impressed enough by the contract offer the owner made in the past week.’
PLAYERS, AGENTS CAUGHT BY SURPRISE
‘”There’s definitely a surprise,” Bills linebacker John Holecek said. “You don’t expect this. . . . The timing is what’s shocking. We kind of expected some changes, but not at this time.”‘