Bona moved to Massachusetts in late 2001 and started writing a weekly sports column on his Web site, "Wink & The Gun.
Bona briefly attended Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management in January 2007 to attain his MBA, but dropped out during his second day of studies upon being notified that he won the Super Bowl commercial contest.
"[7] The winner of the contest was determined by a combination of online voting, a group of top league executives and a panel made up of Lisa Baird, senior vice president for the NFL, actor Don Cheadle, and commercial director Joe Pytka.
[8] Bona worked with representatives from the NFL and acclaimed director Joe Pytka to create the Super Bowl commercial.
Pytka has directed several Super Bowl ads, including the classic McDonald's commercial titled "Nothing But Net," featuring Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.
Bona originally suggested that legendary Chicago Bears linebacker be crying as he watched the end of the Super Bowl on TV.
[6] Instead of casting Butkus, the spot featured former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre contemplating whether he should retire or return for another season of football.
[14] As for the NFL, in February 2008 league spokesman Brian McCarthy told a Boston Globe reporter, "We still talk about Gino's initial pitch at Giants Stadium last year.