Among the many things that made an impression on Buffalo Bills limited ownership partner Vince Carter on Tuesday was the player attendance for a organized team activity workout.
The only player not at the facility was running back James Cook, who is seeking a contract extension, and the other player not on the practice field was defensive end Joey Bosa (calf injury). These are voluntary sessions, but important sessions nonetheless.
鈥淚 love the energy, the want-to and the wanting-to-be-here 鈥 that鈥檚 important,鈥 Carter said after watching the two-hour workout from the sideline. 鈥淚 love that because, being that you鈥檙e so close to accomplishing the goal of championship and you fall short, (being here) means that you鈥檙e hungry and not satisfied and what that does is it doesn鈥檛 let anybody off the hook.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e best players here and going after it, that says a lot and that鈥檚 how you prepare for a championship run.鈥
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Carter, a 2024 Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, completed his 22-year NBA career during the 2019-20 season. His regional connection to the Bills is via the Toronto Raptors, who drafted Carter fifth overall in 1998.
Carter, 48, was one of 10 individuals who purchased about 20% of the Bills from owner Terry Pegula in December 2024.
Carter walked into the Bills鈥 media room Tuesday morning and observed coach Sean McDermott鈥檚 press conference and greeted several players and coaches during and after practice.
Upon being introduced as a limited partner said being embraced by Bills fans has been a 鈥渂eautiful thing.鈥
鈥淭hat is my motivation to come here and be a part of (the Bills) even more,鈥 said Carter, who attended last September鈥檚 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As a successful and recognizable former athlete, Carter hopes to make an impact on current Bills players through his presence.
鈥淚t makes me sit back and smile if there is a particular conversation with a player that helped turn the light on because I know what that did for me as a young guy,鈥 he said.
In addition to the private firm Arctos, the Bills鈥 limited partners are Gridiron Capital, a group led by Tom Burger that includes Carter, former NBA player Tracy McGrady and former soccer player Jozy Altidore, and individual investors Rob Palumbo, Sue McCollum, Rob Ward and Mike Joo.
Carter has welcomed the opportunity to talk non-sports business shop from his new partners.
鈥淚鈥檓 a sponge,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hese people are successful in their own world and my mother was a teacher her whole life and one thing that stuck with me (she said) is, 鈥楲earn a little bit about a lot of things,鈥 and 鈥楧on鈥檛 be one-dimensional.鈥 As I鈥檝e taken steps doing that, I鈥檝e learned so much. Already with (Burger), we鈥檝e had conversations about his businesses and how to operate.鈥
Likewise, McDermott embraced the chance to visit with Carter.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have him here and I鈥檓 looking to learn from him,鈥 McDermott said. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e an elite performer in basketball, football or life overall, there are a lot of similarities that overlap and if you can just pull one thing from their experiences, that will help you.鈥
