Bills in snow-driving controversy amid Buffalo disaster: ‘They were not allowed to travel’

Buffalo whitethorn beryllium rabidly obsessed with their Bills, but that hasn’t stopped the squad from getting into a tiff with the metropolis during the caller snow-pocalypse.

The Bills played the Bears successful Chicago connected Christmas Eve and had to question backmost to Buffalo successful the mediate of a historical blizzard that has claimed the lives of astatine slightest 37 people successful the metropolitan country truthful far. The squad flew into Rochester – a adjacent airdrome – successful the midst of a driving prohibition successful the city, which was enacted owed to the blizzard.

According to Erie County, the squad asked for a constabulary escort to instrumentality to their homes, and they were denied. So, they drove themselves – and the metropolis is not thrilled.

“They were not allowed to travel. They did,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. “At that time, determination was really dense snowfall still. I don’t privation anybody to deliberation that Erie County gave preferential attraction to the Bills.

“As overmuch arsenic they’re indispensable for our intelligence wellness erstwhile they win, they are not indispensable workers.”

An Erie County plow during Buffalo’s blizzardAP

A car sits buried aft a wintertime tempest rolled done Western New YorkAP

The Bills’ Highmark Stadium is surrounded by snowGetty Images

The Bills, though, are denying they asked for preferential attraction from the county, with squad COO Ron Raccuia being adamant astir the assertion to the Buffalo News.

“We made definite that we were not diverting immoderate resources needed successful immoderate portion of our community, whatsoever,” Raccuia said. “We were successful changeless connection not lone with them, arsenic good arsenic different agencies passim Western New York, from the time we near for Chicago connected Thursday until the time we returned. But we did not inquire for oregon person peculiar treatment. We would not bash that.”

Videos went viral of the Bills players returning location Sunday to find their cars nether respective feet of snow, with 1 video showing a subordinate driving distant with seemingly an full snowfall location connected the extortion of his car.

Bills players excavation their cars retired of snowTwitter/@CBSSports

Bills players excavation their cars retired of snowTwitter/@CBSSports

The Bills person to question yet again this week for their “Monday Night Football” crippled against the Bengals successful Cincinnati. Luckily, the snowstorm successful the metropolis has subsided, with the temperatures creeping into the 40s this week.