Four Buffalo Bills' greats headlined the Rochester Press-Radio Club Day of Champions' charity dinner Monday evening, and their thoughts were also with another well-known former Bill who couldn't be at the event.
Jim Kelly, the Hall of Famer now battling oral cancer was originally scheduled to be at the dinner, but couldn't because of his illness. He just got home from the hospital Monday after his final radiation treatment. But Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Darryl Talley and Steve Tasker were at Riverside Convention Center, and Tasker says while many of the Bills from those legendary teams in the 90s' still keep in touch, Kelly's illness has brought them even a little closer together.
"Even when he's healthy and fine Jim is a big reason why all of us touch base and keep together and it has enhanced that, no question about it, guys are calling each other...because we find out that one of us has seen him or talked to him and we want to find out what they think."
Another hot topic for the former Bills, will the team stay in Buffalo now that longtime owner Ralph Wilson has died. Thurman Thomas sure hopes so.
“From what they mean for the community, with the players, the players that are still there, we're a big part of the community, we're a big part of the organization and we love being in Buffalo, and we love being a part of the organization."
Thomas and his former teammates sound confident there will be a deal reached to keep the Bills in Western New York.
