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Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula said Friday that players in the organization "just didn't understand or know the impact" their protests during the national anthem could have on the NFL as a business.

ESPN's Mike Rodak relayed comments by Pegula, who owns the Bills with her husband Terry, from an appearance at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston about the different perspectives from owners protecting their interests and players hoping to highlight social injustice.

"They didn't grow up in the sports business world. They came in on the players' side," she said. "So a lot of [Bills players] just didn't understand or know the impact that it had on the business, the organization and the community—good or bad. So I do think there's definitely an impact."

Pegula said the "impact of social and political issues," which forces NFL franchises to consider more than the on-field product, is the aspect of sports business that keeps her up at night. Ultimately, she thinks conversations with players could yield a useful compromise:

"My own experience, I think a lot of it is just communication. I know that's easy to say. But I know that several of our players, when I actually talked to them and actually gave them a different perspective—just like they were trying to give us a different perspective—on the impact of the business and what the impact is of what they do socially, off the game, at home and then how that affects the business side."

In September, after United States President Donald Trump suggested owners should fire players who kneel during the anthem, Bills ownership released a statement calling the comments "divisive and disrespectful."

"Several of us met tonight—players, coaches, staff and ownership," the statement read. "Our goal was to provide open dialogue and communication. We listened to one another. We believe it's the best way to work through any issue we are facing—on and off the field."

Protesting has become a divisive subject for the NFL, and a Harris Poll in November showed 77 percent of respondents felt players should stand for the anthem, according to Jonathan Easley of The Hill.

In the same poll, 28 percent of individuals said they were watching less football as a result of the issue.