Wilson's hospitalization slows lease

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - News 4 has learned that the 93-year-old owner of the Buffalo Bills has been hospitalized.

A spokesman tells News 4 that Ralph Wilson is in the hospital with a mild infection, though he is said to be in good condition. The team is not saying how long Wilson has been hospitalized.

Wilson had hip surgery in spring of 2011, and his health has been slipping. Because he was having difficulty traveling, he attended only one Bills home game last season.

Earlier this month, many wondered if Wilson would be able to make the opening of the Ralph Wilson Junior Pro Football Research and Preservation Center at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The building contains 20 million document pages and three million photos and was built with the help of a large donation by the Bills owner.

Wilson appeared in a wheelchair at the event and his wife, Mary Wilson, told News 4 that her husband had been doing well.

Word of Wilson being in the hospital has Bills fans once again contemplating the inevitable: the team's lifelong owner isn't going to be around forever. As the preseason draws to a close, the Bills, Erie County and New York State are still negotiating a new lease agreement for the stadium bearing Wilson's name, a lease the County Executive once hoped would be done by training camp.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says he's "in communication with the Bills... wishes [Wilson]... a speedy recovery," and that "Lease negotiations will continue as [Wilson] recuperates."

The Bills are seeking taxpayer dollars to help fund more than $200 million in proposed renovations to the 39-year-old facility.

The current lease expires in July. Though Bills officials have maintained the team's commitment to staying in Buffalo for the long term, there remain concerns of what happens to the franchise once Wilson dies.

Wilson has previously said he has no intention to leave the team to his family, and instead intends to have his heirs sell the franchise.

Wilson, who was born in 1918, will turn 94 on October 17th.