Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula addressed the Keon Coleman draft decision, prompting follow-up comments as the team clarified its stance.
Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula wants you to know who was responsible for the decision to draft wide receiver Keon Coleman.
During their year-end press conference on Wednesday, Pegula and the team's new president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane were asked about Coleman's status with the team after a tumultuous second season. As Beane began to answer, Pegula interrupted with his take on the situation.
"I'll address the Keon situation," Pegula said. "The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon. I'm not saying Brandon wouldn't have drafted him, but he wasn't his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff, who felt strongly about the player."
Later on in the conference, Beane and Pegula seemed to attempt to backtrack a bit and clarify their thoughts on Coleman and his role with the team.
"He was my pick," Beane said. "I made the pick. Terry's point was that we might have had a different order of personnel vs. coaching...but, ultimately, I'm not turning a pick for a player that I don't think we can succeed with. So, don't misunderstand that.
Beane acknowledged that Coleman is a young player with two years still left on his rookie contract. He said that it's up to the organization to work with him and continue to develop him into the player they feel he can be.
"His issues have not been on the field," he said. "They've just been maturity things that he owns; I give him credit. He owns, he doesn't make excuses, which I appreciate."
Pegula then added that there wasn't one player on the team that someone else could've been drafted in their place because of others' opinions. He said that they listen to the coaches, the general manager, scouts. He wanted to make it clear that it was a collaborative process when it comes to taking players in the draft.
"We still believe in Keon Coleman here, and it's up to us to develop his talent so that he can help us win games," Beane closed with.
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