Posted: Thursday, 26 May 2011 3:29PM

Report: Another Suitor Interested in Bills

The Buffalo Bills aren't currently for sale, but according to the Wall Street Journal, there's more interest from a different party to purchase the NFL franchise.

Jeffrey Gundlach, who grew up in Buffalo, told WSJ that he is trying to assemble a group to buy the Bills. The discussions with wealthy investors are still at the early stages, but Gundlach said “Now, I’m thinking about thinking about it.”

When reached for comment by WGR Sports Radio 550, Matt Phillips who originally wrote the report, spoke on the person that Jeffrey Gundlach is.

"He's a well-known fund manager. He used to work for an outfit called T.C.W. He left there, and it was somewhat of an acrimonious split. There was a lawsuit after his departure. He founded an outfit called The Double Line as their bond fund manager, and they've actually done very well as fund managers. Outspoken guy, very opinionated. He's a very shrewd investor. This isn't an investment he told me. This is because he loves the Bills basically."

The representatives of Gundlach have been reached, and we've been told that he will not comment any further on the original report.

Who Is Jeffrey Gundlach?

Steve Tripi

When the story broke that bond investor Jeffrey Gundlach was interested in purchasing the Buffalo Bills, many fans and media alike turned an inquisitive eye towards the 50 year old billionaire from Buffalo, currently living in Los Angeles, California. Similar to current Sabres owner Terry Pegula, many sports fans in the western New York area likely never heard of Gundlach before Thursday's news, but interest in him is likely to grow as seriousness of his interest in purchasing the NFL franchise surfaces.

Gundlach made his fortune in the bond market, eventually becoming the Chief Investment Officer of TCW, a Los Angeles based investment firm. While at his peak with the company, he was in control of 70% of ifs assets, nearly $70 billion. According to a Barron's piece on the man, he is considered a "celebrity" in the bond trading world, and was coined "the King of Bonds" for his massive financial success in bond trading throughout his life. His foresight contributed to his success, as it was noted he predicted the mortgage-backed securities bubble would create a financial crisis in 2007.

His career at TCW ended in controversy, however, when he was fired late in 2009 following a lengthy and complicated situation. TCW filed a lawsuit against Gundlach accusing him of stealing company investment strategies, and collecting 70 pieces of pornography, various "sexual devices" and multiple bags of marijuana in his office.

According to a lengthy piece in Fortune magazine, Gundlach attributes the beginning of the end of his career at TCW with the sale of majority stake in the company to a French investment firm. When a rival and former company president Marc Stern came out of retirement to assume the CEO position, Gundlach became dissatisfied and essentially fed up with his former employer. He left TCW, and in 2010 formed his own firm Double Line, bringing about 45 of 60 former TCW employees with him.

Critics believe Gundlach is self centered, and "obsessed" with out-competing his former employer. According to a former TCW employee, he looks at himself "as a god." As a young man, he played drums in Los Angeles area rock bands that never broke through into the mainstream. It is reported in several interviews he became interested investment banking after watching a 1985 episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." He is currently divorced.