Bills owner insists Whaley led draft despite instant firing

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula said Sunday that general manager Doug Whaley was the leader of the team's draft efforts despite being fired the day after the event ended.

Pegula refuted reports that head coach Sean McDermott had been the key decision-maker during the draft process, insisting that Whaley "put the whole thing together," according to ESPN's Mike Rodak.

When questioned why he'd fire Whaley after allowing him to run the draft, Pegula just responded, "We have certain aspects we need to get a little better in."

Pegula also refused to go into specific reasons about why he chose to fire Whaley, but said it was an emotional decision for many within the Bills organization.

"I don't want to discuss publicly why we made the decision, the factors," Pegula said. "Doug is a good guy. He's a smart man. But we made the decision. And the reasons remain private to us and Doug.

"There were a few tears around the building, to be honest with you. He's a good guy."

Asked about the Bills' GM search and future front-office structure, Pegula said he hopes to find a candidate who can fit into a joint effort with the ownership and McDermott, rather than someone who'd wield absolute power over the roster.

"I like collaborative organizations, so the power structure I envision when we hire our new GM is someone who will work in the organization with us as owners, with the head coach and make a team that makes us better," Pegula said.