Getty Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott (L) addresses team owner Kim Pegula's (R) 'unexpected health issues' during a press conference.
The start of the Buffalo Bills‘ mandatory minicamp started out on a grim note on Tuesday, June 14. Before practice started, the team’s owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, issued an alarming message.
In a statement provided to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Pegula family offered the following statement: “Kim Pegula is receiving medical care as a result of some unexpected health issues. We are very grateful for the progress she has made over the past few days. She has an exceptional team of medical experts at her side.
“We ask that you keep Kim and our family in your prayers and ask that you respect our need for privacy.”
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A statement from the Pegula family about Buffalo Bills’ owner and President Kim Pegula:
Immediately after the statement was released, the Bills’ official Twitter account delivered strong words of encouragement: “All of Bills Mafia is sending our love and prayers to you, Kim. We are with you and the entire Pegula family. 💙❤️”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott was the first member of the franchise to speak out on Pegula’s medical emergency, as he was already scheduled to give a press conference on Tuesday to speak with the media about mandatory minicamp.
McDermott got emotional speaking about Kim Pegula’s health. “In my mind, they’re the best owners in the NFL,” McDermott said, per Bills Wire. “And I’m probably biased but that’s how I feel in my heart. I think if you look at what they’ve done for Western New York.”
“What they’ve done for this organization and for the multiple organizations and companies that they own around here,” McDermott continued. “And then personally, what they’ve done for me and my family, I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to repay them. So, we love them. And more than anything, we just want to be there for him right now.”
Pegula, 53, has homes in both Western New York and South Florida, as reported by SB Nation. Spectrum News 1 Buffalo reporter Rachel Hopmayer tweeted, “Per patient information representative, I can confirm that Kim Pegula is hospitalized in the ICU at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional.”
Terry & Kim Pegula Have Owned the Bills Since 2014
GettyBuffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula on the field before a game
Terry and Kim Pegula, who married in 1993, bought the Bills in 2014 after the original owner, Ralph Wilson, who purchased the team for $25,000 in 1959, died at the age of 95, per Sports Illustrated‘s Michael McCann.
At the time, the Pegulas, who also own the Buffalo Sabres, were up against multiple contenders looking to purchase the franchise, including Bon Jovi and Donald Trump.
“The Pegulas won the bidding in September 2014 by having offered a then-NFL record $1.4 billion,” McCann reported. Trump’s offer was reportedly under $900 million, per Forbes.
McCann noted, “The NFL’s finance committee and then the league’s owners unanimously approved the Pegulas as the new owners of the Bills. Trump, for his part, tweeted a back-handed congratulations: ‘The people of Buffalo should be happy Terry Pegula got the team but I hope he does better w/the Bills than he has w/the Sabres. Good luck!'”
The Pegulas are Moving Closer to To Breaking Ground on the New Bills’ Stadium
The Pegulas have been working with local government in order to build a new stadium for the Bills, and on May 26, received approval from the Erie County Legislature to move forward with the deal, per MyChamplainValley.com.
The approval grants the Pegulas $250 million from Erie County, which will be “repaid through the ticket sales for away teams at the stadium over the next couple decades,” per SB Nation’s Matt Warren.
Erie Count’s grant comes on top of the $600 million New York State funding governer Kathy Hochul promised in March. The Pegulas will personally contribute $350 million to the $1.2 billion project, “but the majority of the owners’ portion will from fans in the form of Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs) that give the holder the opportunity to buy season tickets,” Warren noted.
The new stadium is expected to open in time for the 2026 NFL season.
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