Owner of the Buffalo Bills Terry Pegula has given his daughter Laura a small portion of his ownership position in the organisation, according to Tim Graham of The Athletic. Graham claims that shortly after the 2023 NFL owners’ meetings in Phoenix, Pegula gave his daughter the modest stake; Laura attended the meetings on behalf of the Bills.
By making this move, Terry’s first marriage’s child Laura is positioned as Bills’ heir apparent. Graham claims that teams have to provide the NFL with an updated succession plan every year. Although Bills and Sabres employees “remain unclear” about Laura’s precise job, Graham reports that Laura’s involvement around the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres (also owned by Pegula) has increased over the past year.
Laura, who was most closely associated with her father’s petroleum company, according to The Athletic, takes over as Buffalo’s heir apparent in lieu of Terry Pegula’s wife Kim, who passed away in 2022 from a heart attack that left her brain damaged. According to Graham, in February 2023, Pegula “filed to have Kim ruled incapacitated and to be made her guardian.” The following month, a judge declared Pegula to be her “plenary guardian of the person and property.”
Kim was the former president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment and was actively involved in the Buffalo community. She had a hands-on approach to ownership and was often available to fans. She also made appearances in a Bills-focused podcast. The original plan was for Kim to manage both the Bills and the Sabres before passing them on to the Pegula children. Jessica Pegula was initially seen as the main successor, but recent changes suggest that Laura Pegula may now have a significant stake in the ownership of the teams. Details about the transfer and the exact percentage of ownership are unclear at this time. There may be more changes to the Bills’ ownership group in the future, as Terry Pegula reportedly put 25% of the team up for sale.
