The NFL rejected Trump's ownership bid for the New England Patriots. [0] He previously failed to purchase the Buffalo Bills [1] and this all started in the 1980's when he "won" an antitrust case against the NFL [2], for his USFL New Jersey Generals. The case netted him $1, $3 with triple damages, and resulted in the end of the USFL, rather than his desired merger of the two leagues.