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ORCHARD PARK Authentic Alexander Radulov Jersey , N.Y. (AP) Russ Brandon abruptly resigned his dual role as president of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres after being confronted by the teams’ owners regarding an alleged inappropriate relationship with a female employee, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because it is an internal matter, and owners Terry and Kim Pegula did not provide a reason for accepting Brandon’s resignation in a statement they released Tuesday.The relationship in question first became apparent to a number of team employees during the Sabres’ visit to New York for a game against the Rangers on Jan. 18, the people said. The trip included the team hosting a fan event at a bar the day before the game.Kim Pegula will take over Brandon’s roles overseeing the Bills, Sabres and Pegula Sports Entertainment, the company which controls the owners’ numerous holdings.In a text to The AP, Brandon said he has contemplated stepping down from the job for some time, and felt the timing was right after the conclusion of the NFL draft.”My goal when the Pegulas purchased the franchise was to reach 20 years with the Bills, in which I achieved this past November,” Brandon wrote.”As grateful as I am for the amazing experience and the incredible people I’ve had the privilege to work with the past two decades, I am just as anxious for the professional opportunities that lie ahead,” he added.Brandon did not respond to follow-up questions regarding his relationship.Brandon’s departure comes after the Bills made a big splash in the first round of the draft by trading up to select both Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen with the seventh pick Womens Ben Bishop Jersey , and Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds with the 16th pick. The new additions join a Bills team that went 9-7 and ended a 17-year playoff drought last season.On Saturday, the last-place Sabres earned a boost by winning the NHL draft lottery and the right to the No. 1 pick for the third time in franchise history.”We have a tremendous amount of confidence in the strong leadership team we have built within each of these entities over the last several years,” the statement from the Pegulas read.”We are excited about the direction of our teams, especially after this past weekend’s NFL draft and NHL lottery results. Our focus remains on building championship teams on and off the field for our fans and community.”Brandon most recently served as the Bills’ managing partner, was the Sabres alternate on the NHL’s board of governors and a member of the NFL’s business ventures committee.The timing of Brandon’s exit comes at a time he was supposed to oversee the Bills’ next big venture in determining their future home. Brandon was expected to lead the team’s stadium search committee in deciding whether the Bills should continue playing at their current home or develop a new facility in downtown Buffalo.He served in various roles with the Bills, involving both marketing and football decisions during a two-year stint as general manager from 2008-09.He also took the lead in negotiating the Bills’ most recent lease five years ago, which played a critical role in securing the franchise’s long-term future in Buffalo especially following Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson’s death in March 2014.The lease included a strict non-relocation clause that included a $400 million penalty the team would be forced to pay if it considered moving before 2020.Brandon also oversaw the Bills’ eventual sale to the Pegulas, who completed their $1.4 billion purchase of the franchise in October 2014.The Pegulas retained Brandon and elevated him to the role of managing partner. The Pegulas thought so highly of Brandon, the Sabres were added to his responsibilities after the team reached a mutual agreement to part ways with Ted Black in July 2015.Brandon’s resignation continues a large turnover of Bills executives who served under Wilson. Bruce Popko is the senior holdover and now becomes the top executive as chief operating officer of Buffalo-based Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which oversees the Pegulas’ numerous holdings.Brandon grew up in nearby Syracuse, New York, and began making his mark in Buffalo shortly after being hired by the Bills in 1997 to serve as the team’s business development and marketing director.He began by spearheading a campaign to transform them into a regional team by expanding the franchise’s fan base to offset Buffalo’s dropping population base.That process began in 2000 http://www.starsshoponline.com/authentic-brett-ritchie-jersey , when the team shifted training camp to Brandon’s alma mater, St. John Fisher College in suburban Rochester, to capitalize on the community’s corporate and larger population base.Later, the Bills boosted their presence across southern Ontario by negotiating a deal to begin playing annual regular-season games in Toronto starting in 2008. The ”Bills In Toronto” series lasted through 2013 before the deal was placed on hold the following year and then terminated by the Pegulas.Toronto-based media giant, Rogers Communications, paid the Bills $78 million to essentially lease eight games (five regular season and three preseason) during the initial five-year agreement. The price was almost double what the Bills were projected to generate if those games were played at their home facility.The series also spurred a large bump in season-ticket purchases from across the border. By 2015, the Bills estimated southern Ontario fans accounted for about 18 percent of their season-ticket sales, surpassing their support from Rochester.Not everything succeeded under Brandon, who drew criticism for a number of decisions, including failing to build a winner during his two-year stint as the Bills GM when Wilson elected to promote from within the organization after Marv Levy stepped down following a two-year tenure.—This story’s third paragraph has been corrected to note the relationship first became apparent during the Sabres’ visit to New York for a game against the Rangers on Jan. 18— NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ryan Johansen and the Nashville Predators are off to a solid start this season.Scoring first has been a big key.Johansen and P.K. Subban each had two assists, and the Predators beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Monday night for their fifth win in six games.“It’s early in the season Dennis Cholowski Jersey Womens , you’re trying to get your game in order,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “Hopefully just continue to get better.”Craig Smith, Mattias Ekholm, Filip Forsberg and Miikka Salomaki scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne finished with 29 saves.Minnesota lost for the fourth time in five games. Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist for the Wild, and Matt Dumba also scored.“Our effort was fine, that looked like the team I’m used to coaching effort-wise,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We made a couple of mistakes and when we did, against that team, it costs you.”After Smith and Dumba exchanged goals in the first period, Nashville opened a 3-1 lead in the second.As a penalty on Nashville’s Ryan Ellis was expiring, Johansen began an odd-man rush with Ekholm trailing. From the right faceoff dot http://www.starsshoponline.com/authentic-devin-shore-jersey , Johansen found Ekholm in the slot, where he beat Alex Stalock with a wrist shot.Forsberg made it 3-1 at 12:02 of the second. Just inside the Predators’ blue line, Kyle Turris forced a turnover by Eric Staal. Turris then pivoted and found Forsberg at the other blue line with a perfect stretch pass, sending the Swede in on a breakaway for his fourth goal of the season.“As soon as I stepped on the ice, (Turris) got the puck and I just tried to make sure that he saw me,” Forsberg said. “He made a nice play and I was all alone.”Stalock finished with 24 saves in his first start of the season.Koivu’s first goal of the season at 15:03 of the second cut Nashville’s lead to 3-2. Rinne preserved the win by denying Nino Niederreiter on a breakaway with 2:41 remaining.“It goes both ways and they capitalized on their chances,” Koivu said. “We had some momentum, but it was a step in the right direction tonight.”Salomaki added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.Smith put Nashville in front 6:01 into the game. With a tripping minor on Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin in its final seconds, Smith collected the rebound of Subban’s wrist shot from the center of the blue line through traffic and put it past Stalock for his second of the season.“It was a good start,” Smith said. “Getting the first one is always nice.”Nashville has scored first in five of six games this season.Dumba evened the game at 13:29 on the power play. Koivu’s backhand pass from the right corner ricocheted off the stick of Nashville’s Nick Bonino and into the high slot. Coming down from the left point unchecked, Dumba stepped into a slap shot and beat Rinne high on the glove side.NOTES: Forsberg has four points in his last three games. … Nashville D Yannick Weber played his 400th NHL game. … Stalock is 0-4-0 in his career against Nashville.UP NEXTWild: Host Arizona on Tuesday.Predators: Visit Calgary on Friday.