LACKAWANNA, N.Y. -- Businessman B. Thomas Golisano said Tuesday he is waiting for the NHL to address some questions before he considers submitting a bid to buy the Buffalo Sabres.

Golisano said the issues revolve around concession services at HSBC Arena, where Buffalo plays home games, and what he referred to as "TV stuff.'' If resolved, Golisano said he could present a formal bid within the next three weeks.

"We're waiting to hear back from the league now. The ball is in their court,'' said Golisano, a Rochester-based billionaire who is running as the Independence Party's New York gubernatorial candidate.

Last Friday, he and members of his ownership group met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to outline the framework of a potential bid to buy the financially troubled team.

Golisano said his group's proposal would not likely be an all-cash offer, and would take into account some of the franchise's outstanding debts.

The Sabres' debts include $157 million of Adelphia Communications money team owner John Rigas used to help purchase the franchise in the mid-1990s and to cover its annual losses.

Rigas and four others are accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from Adelphia, a cable television company that filed for bankruptcy protection in June. Rigas remains the Sabres owner in title but the NHL took over operational control of the franchise in June.

While as many as four prospective ownership groups, including Golisano's, have publicly expressed interest in buying the Sabres, Buffalo businessman Mark Hamister is the only one to have submitted a formal bid.

Golisano, who founded the Rochester-based payroll processing firm Paychex, said he became interested in the Sabres in an effort to keep the franchise in Buffalo. He denied claims that his interest in the team is in any way tied to his gubernatorial bid, his third since 1994.