Buffalo to use ‘Bills Stadium’ until sponsor found

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — One month after ending their naming-rights partnership with New Era, the Buffalo Bills announced that they will call their home “Bills Stadium” until a new sponsor is found.

New Era purchased the stadium’s naming rights in 2016, reaching a seven-year, $35 million agreement with the team. In July, the Bills announced that New Era had asked to be released from its contract, and both sides agreed to terms to end the sponsorship deal.

There have since been two public bids for the naming rights. Bidet company TUSHY announced a bid of up to $12.5 million to rename it “TUSHY Stadium” and bring a college football game to Orchard Park, calling it the “Toilet Bowl.”

Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz rejected the bid on Twitter, saying the company wouldn’t win the bid even if it were the highest bidder, given that stadium names are subject to state and county approval and anything that “embarrasses the community is dead on arrival.”

A group of Bills fans petitioned team owners Terry and Kim Pegula to rename the stadium after Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, who is the longest-tenured and winningest coach in franchise history and led the team to four straight Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993. The petition gained nearly 3,000 signatures and was sent to the Pegulas.

The stadium was first named Rich Stadium when it opened in 1973 before being renamed Ralph Wilson Stadium in 1998 after the Bills’ former owner.