As they prepare to introduce new coach Sean McDermott at a news conference Friday, Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula reiterated there is "no truth" to the perception that there is dysfunction within the team's front office.
"I know how I run my life, run our business," Terry Pegula told The Buffalo News in an interview published Thursday evening. "I know how we treat people, and I know the people we have in our organization. You can't pin 17 years [out of the playoffs] on the Pegulas. We've been around for X-number of years.
"There's no foundation, no truth to this dysfunctional talk. I consider it an insult to our organization and the Bills and the good people with the Sabres. They can't be real happy to hear that."
The Bills have faced criticism in recent weeks, especially for their handling of two news conferences: Anthony Lynn's first news conference as interim coach Dec. 28 and general manager Doug Whaley's season-ending news conference Jan. 2.
Lynn, who is in talks to become the Los Angeles Chargers' coach, said he was not "in the room" when the Bills decided to bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor for the season finale. Whaley said he spoke for ownership in his news conference but denied knowledge of why coach Rex Ryan was fired last month.
The Pegulas did not appear at either news conference and have not answered questions in a news conference setting since Ryan's introduction in 2015. Ownership also declined an ESPN request for an interview last month, before Ryan's firing.
Terry Pegula defended his public approach Thursday to The Buffalo News.
"I guess there's been a perception we're inaccessible," he said. "But I've been consistent from Day 1 when I bought the Sabres and then with the Bills. By owning these teams, it's about the players and coaches. We didn't buy teams to be visible in the media. We bought teams to keep them in the area and to flourish with them. I let the coaches and the players be out front and be the story."
McDermott was among four coaches to interview for the Bills' head-coaching vacancy, but the Pegulas explained they did research on several other candidates. The Bills' owners also disputed that the final weeks of the regular season had a negative impact on how candidates perceived the job.
"First off, I think that all started with some false information printed in the national media about our organization," Terry Pegula said. "I've got to believe it's from people who have no idea what our organization's like or how we operate within. I honestly believe that."