Jun 29, 2022 3 min read

Bills co-owner recovering

Buffalo Bills and Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula is “progressing well” while rehabilitating from a health issue she experienced earlier this month, the family said in a statement released on Tuesday.

The family would only say Pegula is resting, while adding they are “grateful for the medical professionals providing her care, and to everyone for their prayers and well wishes.”

The family would not say whether Pegula remains in the intensive care unit of a Florida hospital or specify the medical issue in asking to continue respecting their need for privacy.

The statement is the first update on Pegula’s health in two weeks, when the family first revealed she was receiving medical care for what was called “some unexpected health issues.”

Kim Pegula was hospitalized shortly after celebrating her 53rd birthday. She is the wife of Terry Pegula, who turned his natural gas fortune into a Buffalo sports empire, with her serving as the public voice and face of ownership.

The Pegulas first purchased the Sabres in February 2011, a year after Terry Pegula sold his natural gas drilling rights to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion. The Pegulas then purchased the Bills from the estate of owner and founder Ralph Wilson in 2014 for what was a then-record price of $1.4 billion.

Kim Pegula is the only female owner of color in either league. She serves as president of both teams – becoming the first woman to do so in the NHL and NFL at the same time – and is on various committees, including the NFL’s workplace diversity committee and the NHL’s executive inclusion council.

Orphaned after being born in Seoul, South Korea, Kim was adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr in 1974, and grew up in Fairport, New York, not far from Buffalo. She is Terry Pegula’s second wife.

Surgery success for Harper

Phillies slugger Bryce Harper had successful surgery to repair his broken left thumb on Wednesday, interim manager Rob Thomson said, but there is no timetable for his return.

Philadelphia remains hopeful the 2021 NL MVP can play again this season.

“It went very well,” Thomson said.

Thomson deferred all other questions about the surgery to Harper, who is expected to return to Philadelphia sometime this week to address the situation.

Harper was injured on Saturday night by a fastball from San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell.

Briscoe dies at 67

Marlin Briscoe, who became the first Black starting quarterback in the American Football League more than 50 years ago, died Monday. He was 76.

His daughter, Angela Marriott, told The Associated Press that Briscoe died of pneumonia at a hospital in Norwalk, California. He had been hospitalized with circulation issues in his legs.

Briscoe, an Omaha, Nebraska, native, was a star quarterback for Omaha University before the Denver Broncos drafted him as a cornerback in the 14th round in 1968. Briscoe told the team he’d return home to become a teacher if he couldn’t get a tryout at quarterback. Denver gave him a chance, and the 5-foot-10 dynamo nicknamed “The Magician” nearly rallied the Broncos to victory as a reserve against the Boston Patriots on Sept. 29. He earned the historic first start a week later.

“He’s made an immense contribution to the sport,” Marriott said. “I hope that he continues to get recognized for the contributions that he made. He was so proud of that achievement.”