ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — As with any new lawn, it takes time for roots to take hold and the foundation to strengthen.
And that applies to the Bills' new Highmark Stadium, where the grass field showed signs of wear and tear before, during and after Buffalo’s preseason-opening 29-14 win over Carolina on Saturday.
No need to worry, Bills president Pete Guelli told The Associated Press on Monday, a day after team officials — including general manager Brandon Beane and trainers — toured the field with its groundskeeping crew as part of a planned inspection.
“From a playability and safety perspective, everybody’s very happy,” Guelli said. “It’s Year 1. So it’s a brand new field and it’s going to take time for the foundation to build up. So some of the things people saw in the game, those will dissipate over time.”
Guelli was referring to clumps of turf being churned up, with one official having to briefly stop the play clock to replace a divot. Before the game, parts of the field appeared more gray than green. Afterward, the most worn portion was between the hash marks, and members of the grounds crew re-seeded parts of the field not long after the final whistle.
Jarring as it may have appeared, Guelli said the field getting torn up was no surprise.
“Our grounds people were aware that was a possibility. Until it actually happens in a game as the field is maturing and the root system is setting, those things can happen,” he said. “It was attended to quickly and the game was able to continue. And we were comfortable with the performance after that.”
The game was the first at the $2.1 billion stadium. The Bills also practiced there a week earlier.
The team will take the field again on Tuesday morning for a practice open to fans, before hosting Pittsburgh on Aug. 27 in its preseason finale. Buffalo’s home opener is against Detroit on Sept. 17.
The new stadium has been criticized on social media based on pictures of seats with views obstructed by guardrails and stairs. The said it has received complaints from less than 1% of its season-ticket holders and is working to resolve each issue on a case-by-case basis.
With the move across the street from their old home, the Bills switched from artificial turf to grass. The old surface was routinely panned by Bills players for being among the league’s worst in annual polls released by the NFL Players Association.
Owner Terry Pegula backed the switch, saying he prefers grass. The players union overwhelmingly favors grass fields, citing statistics indicating more injuries take place on artificial surfaces.
The Bills went with Kentucky bluegrass supplied by New Jersey-based Tuckahoe Turf Farms, which has numerous NFL and Major League Baseball clients. The company installed the same turf on the Bills' practice field, which was sodded about a decade ago.
The field at the open-air stadium may have been put down 10 months ago, but it takes longer than that to mature.
“It’s also about the organic matter under the roots,” Bills senior VP of venue operations Andy Major said. “Organic matter builds up over time, over years, and gives a little more stability than, say, a virgin field that has sand in those areas.”
The groundskeeping crew is monitoring the field by in part by comparing it to how the grass grew over time on the practice field. The crew also has ventilation, heating and grow-light systems at its disposal.
To reduce wear and tear, the Bills elected against holding any concerts at the stadium this year, though various events will be scheduled for next year, Guelli said. For this year only, the Bills will also not host the region’s high school football championships in November.
The next big test will come with the arrival of winter, and the familiar snow and winds blowing in off nearby Lake Erie.
“We think we’ve figured it out, but it’s going to take time to see all the different iterations and different conditions,” Guelli said. “And once we get there, we’ll just continue to adjust.”
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Carolina Panthers players kneel on the field before a preseason NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Fans find their seats in Highmark Stadium before a preseason NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
FILE - A general interior view of the Buffalo Bills' new Highmark Stadium prior to a ribbon cutting ceremony in Orchard Park, N.Y., June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)
Major League Baseball's team owners unanimously have approved the sale of the San Diego Padres to an investor group led by private equity billionaire José E. Feliciano and his wife and business partner, Kwanza Jones.
The league announced the approval Monday after a vote. Feliciano and Jones reached an agreement in May to buy the Padres from the family of late owner Peter Seidler at an MLB-record valuation of $3.9 billion. The deal is still contingent on the official closing of the transaction in the coming weeks.
“José and Kwanza understand the unique place the Padres hold in San Diego and the powerful bond between the club and its fans,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We look forward to their leadership of the Padres and to working with them to build on the club’s strong foundation in a market that is so important to Major League Baseball.”
Seidler's family announced its intention to explore a sale of the Padres last November, two years after Peter Seidler's death. The 53-year-old Feliciano, a co-founder of Santa Monica-based private equity firm Clearlake Capital, emerged from the competition as the Seidler family's top choice.
Padres CEO Erik Greupner and general manager A.J. Preller will remain in charge of day-to-day operations, according to MLB's announcement.
“We are a family first, and becoming owners of the San Diego Padres means joining an even larger one,” Jones and Feliciano said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Seidler family, and especially to Peter, for raising the expectations of what this franchise can achieve. ... Our ambition is clear: to bring a World Series championship to San Diego and build an enduring organization capable of competing for championships year after year. We intend to be engaged owners, bringing our energy, experience and perspective while working alongside the talented team already in place and investing ambitiously and thoughtfully in the Padres’ future.
“We are all in and committed to winning.”
Peter Seidler assumed majority control of the Padres in 2020 after first joining their ownership group in 2012, but he became beloved in San Diego for his aggressive financial pursuit of winning and his eagerness to engage with the team's fan base. He died at 63 in November 2023.
The Padres dramatically increased their payroll under Seidler, allowing Preller to build the foundation for the current team, which has made four playoff appearances in the past six years and won at least 89 games in three of the last four seasons during the most successful stretch in franchise history. San Diego is currently in the playoff race again, winning 17 of its last 22 games entering Monday to surge into an NL wild-card position at 67-58.
“As far as the day-to-day operations, nothing changes for us," Padres manager Craig Stammen said in New York before San Diego's series opener against the Mets. "We’ve got to go out here and play the games, just like we have all season long. The ownership sale has kind of been something that’s been going on throughout the entire year. It doesn’t really affect the play on the field, but we’re excited to have José and Kwanza a part of the Padres and can’t wait to welcome them.”
The minority partners in the Padres' new ownership group include Joey and Jesse Buss, two sons of former Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Coincidentally, the six Buss siblings decided earlier Monday to sell their remaining minority ownership stake in the Lakers to incoming majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.
When Feliciano and Jones reached their agreement to purchase the Padres earlier this year, they praised the team as "a unifying force in San Diego, rooted in community, connection and belonging.” They've since been spotted at Padres games in San Diego and in Mexico City.
“It’s good to see people that care working with us, you know?” Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill said. "I mean, the Seidlers cared a lot. It’ll be fun to see how these people take it, mold it into their own, you know? Trust in them, as they trust in us on the field. So, full confidence in them. Excited to meet them.”
The Padres have never won a World Series, but they were a valuable commodity for potential owners as the only team in the four biggest North American sports leagues in a metropolitan area with roughly 3.3 million people. Downtown Petco Park has become one of the liveliest ballparks in the sport, and the Padres ranked second in the majors in attendance last season.
Feliciano, who was born in Puerto Rico, becomes the second Latino principal owner in baseball, along with the Los Angeles Angels' Arte Moreno. Latino and Hispanic players comprise roughly 30% of major league rosters.
Feliciano and Jones will hold an introductory news conference at Petco Park on Monday, Aug. 24.
AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick in New York contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Logan Henderson, right, works against San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, third from left, in the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)
San Diego Padres' Luis Campusano, right, is doused by teammate Ty France after Campusano hit a walk off single and. the Padres defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Luis Campusano, second from left, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off single to defeat the Brewers during the eleventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
