Bills executive vice president and chief operating officer Ron Raccuia and Bills GM Brandon Beane held a press conference via Zoom Thursday night to discuss the changes to Sunday’s game location and other important topics including ticket information. Below is an excerpted version of what Raccuia and Beane said.
Q: How was the decision to move the game to Detroit reached?
Rakuya: “The decision to move the game to Detroit has everything to do with safety. We’ve been talking about safety first for the last 48 to 72 hours. I do want to thank County Executive Poloncarz, Governor Hochul, all of our elected officials and of course (NFL) Commissioner (Rodger) Goodell and the entire league staff and Lions organization for their commitment and communication and helping us move the game forward . As I said before, our only concern is the safety of our players, fans and community, and making sure we don’t divert any resources that the community needs this weekend. “
Q: Will the tickets be refunded?
Rakuya: “We’ve actually just sent an email to all existing match ticket holders. So our fans will have the opportunity to get a refund, depending on how they bought their tickets. But I would ask them to check that they probably should have received a refund. The emails that arrived were actually about five to ten minutes ago. Those would all be returned.”
Q: Are tickets for games played in Detroit transferable?
Rakuya: “There is no transfer option. These are actually two separate transactions. Everyone’s tickets will be automatically credited based on how they were purchased. So if they buy online at Bills, Ticketmaster, season ticket members will be credited directly to their season ticket account that way. Starting tomorrow, the new promotion will be completely separate. “
Q: What is the group travel plan like?
beans: We will try to maintain a normal travel schedule. Obviously, we’re going to keep track of the weather, but right now, we’re scheduling a plane to leave sometime Saturday afternoon. We’ll have to wait until we hear from the airline when they can get it here. But we’ll try to keep it as close to our normal routine as possible. So now, as long as the weather on Sunday matches our expectations, we will fly back after the game. You know the game will be at 1 so we can go about our normal routine and fly back there on Wednesday.
Q: Is there any frustration with not having a home game?
beans: Well, I’m counting on you to call all BillsMafia to show up. Seriously, we hope it’s still home field advantage away. Fortunately, it’s not nationwide. We know BillsMafia is down, hope those in the Michigan area are down. Hopefully those here looking to get out of the snow will drive over.
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