Terry and Kim Pegula Approved as Bills Owners Following NFL Owners' Vote

In a move that has been expected for a month, Terry and Kim Pegula were officially approved by the NFL owners as the new owners of the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday. 

According to Greg Aiello of NFL public relations, the approval was unanimous:

The Pegulas initially reached a sale agreement with the Wilson family in September and received unanimous approval from the NFL finance committee, as pointed out by New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo:

Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News shared a picture of Terry Pegula at his press conference:

The Bills' official Twitter feed passed along some of the new owner's comments:

Pegula thanked his fellow owners for approving him on his company Twitter feed:

That left one hurdle standing between the Pegulas and ownership of the Bills, as they needed at least three-quarters of the NFL's owners to approve the sale. Based on the Pegulas' success as owners of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, the finalization was never in doubt.

According to ESPN.com, the deal to purchase the Bills was worth $1.4 billion. After becoming the prospective owner, Terry Pegula released a statement in which he made it clear that whispers of the Bills relocating would be a thing of the past.

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Our interest in owning the Bills has everything to do with the people of Western New York and our passion for football. We have knowledgeable, dedicated fans here and along with our ownership of the Buffalo Sabres, it is gratifying to reassure these great fans that two franchises so important to our region are both here to stay.

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Pegula has been praised by many for his efforts to support the Buffalo area, including New York State Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy:

Among the NFL owners who publicly lauded the Pegulas prior to the vote was Jeffrey Lurie of the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Jim Corbett of USA Today:

Due to the Pegulas' wealth and experience as owners of a professional sports franchise, it is easy to see why other NFL owners viewed them as the perfect fit.

With this sale, the era of the late Ralph Wilson and his family owning the Bills has officially reached its conclusion.

Per John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, however, a statement released by the Bills Board of Trustees made it clear that the Wilson family will continue to be supporters of the Western New York region:

The Wilsons have left an indelible mark on the franchise, especially since they ensured it would remain in Buffalo for years to come. 

The Bills have a huge home game against the New England Patriots on Sunday with sole possession of first place in the AFC East on the line, and this sale will undoubtedly make an already raucous atmosphere even more celebratory.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.