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Alaina GetzenbergESPN
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills and Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula is “progressing well” as she deals with her health, per a statement shared by the Pegula family, and she is currently “resting and rehabilitating.”
The family initially confirmed that Pegula was receiving medical treatment on June 14 due to “unexpected health issues.”
“We are grateful for the medical professionals providing her care and to everyone for their prayers and well wishes,” the Pegula family continued in a statement Tuesday. “We ask that you please continue to respect our need for privacy during this time.”
Pegula’s daughter, tennis player Jessica Pegula, said from Wimbledon on Wednesday said her mother is “doing a lot better now.”
“That’s why I’m here. If she wasn’t doing well, I probably wouldn’t have come. I flew out Wednesday last week, and within that time she was in a really good condition, where I felt like everything was fine, and I felt like my family had everything under control. She’s progressing and she’s been doing rehab,” she said. “I felt comfortable coming here. But that’s why I didn’t play any warm-up tournaments.”
Kim Pegula, 53, is president and CEO of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, and president and co-owner of the Bills and Sabres. She oversees the business operations of both teams and is the first woman to be president of both an NFL and NHL team.
Kim and Terry Pegula, 71, purchased the Bills in 2014 for $1.4 billion after becoming owners of the Sabres in 2011. They reside in both Florida and Buffalo with Kim initially admitted to a Florida hospital earlier this month.
She is on the NFL Workplace Diversity Committee. Pegula also served on the NFL’s Super Bowl and Major Events Advisory Committee, Business Ventures Committee and NFL Foundation Committee, in addition to co-chairing the NHL’s Executive Inclusion Council. She has been a proponent for diversity in both leagues.
The Pegulas also own the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Nighthawks and the Rochester Americans, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Sabres. An agreement was reached this year for a $1.4 billion stadium for the Bills in Orchard Park, New York, that includes a 30-year lease.
“We’re all praying for them, and we appreciate everyone in the community praying for them as well,” quarterback Josh Allen said earlier this month. “[Kim’s] done so much for our organization, and we all love her so much. Again, as a team we’re saying our prayers, and we just ask that you guys do the same for us, please.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.