Tag: Brittany Bowlen

Brittany Bowlen steps down from role with Broncos ahead of new ownership takeover

Following the departure of Brittany Bowlen, one member of the Bowlen family remains on staff: Patrick Bowlen III is still listed as the facilities coordinator on the Broncos’ website.

The Bowlen era is officially coming to an end in Denver.

The Broncos reached a purchase and sale agreement with a new ownership group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton last month, and the sale is expected to become official in early August.

Once the sale does become official, Walton will become the team’s new controlling owner, and the family of late owner Pat Bowlen will relinquish their shares.

Before the team decided on a sale, one of Bowlen’s daughters, Brittany, was being groomed to become the next controlling owner. Not all of the siblings were in agreement, though, so the team moved toward a sale instead of appointing Brittany — or one of her siblings — as the new owner.

Brittany had been serving as the team’s senior vice president of strategy, but she stepped down from that role last month after Walton’s group reached an agreement with the Broncos.

“I recently made the decision to step down from my position at the Broncos,” she said in a statement Thursday. “During my time, I thoroughly enjoyed working in the team’s front office and feel fortunate to have worked alongside such a talented and supportive group of people.

“I wish the Walton-Penner Family Ownership all the best as they embark on the next chapter of this organization’s storied history.”

With Brittany no longer employed by the team, one member of the Bowlen family remains on staff: Patrick Bowlen III is still listed as the facilities coordinator on the team’s website.

Forbes: Broncos are 11th-most valuable team in the NFL

The Broncos are worth $3 billion, making them the 11th-most valuable franchise in the NFL.

The Denver Broncos are the 25th-most valuable sports team in the world and the 11th-most valuable NFL team, according to a 2020 estimate from Forbes. The franchise moved up one spot in the world ranking from last year (No. 26) but Denver kept its No. 11 ranking among NFL clubs.

Forbes estimates that the Broncos are worth $3 billion, a notable increase from their valuation of $2.65 billion in 2019. Denver is the most valuable team in the AFC West, above the Las Vegas Raiders ($2.9 billion), Los Angeles Chargers ($2.5 billion) and Kansas City Chiefs ($2.3 billion).

Forbes says the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports team in the world, worth $5.5 billion. MLB’s New York Yankees ($5 billion) and the NBA’s New York Knicks ($4.6 billion) are Nos. 2-3 on the list.

Late Broncos owner Pat Bowlen purchased the team for $78 million in 1984. Right now, the team is under the control of the Pat Bowlen Trust. Brittany Bowlen, one of Pat’s daughters, appears to be the frontrunner to become the next controlling owner.

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Roger Goodell comments on Broncos’ ownership situation

“For us, we want to make sure that his wishes are followed,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

During the Broncos’ end-of-season press conference, president/CEO Joe Ellis indicated that if beneficiaries would not sign off on Brittany Bowlen eventually becoming the team’s next controlling owner, the franchise might be sold to a new owner outside of Pat Bowlen’s family.

Bowlen died last June after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The team is now under control of the trust that he set up in his name. Bowlen tasked the trust with passing down ownership of the team to one of his children when a qualified candidate emerged.

During his media availability on Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the possibility of the Broncos being sold.

“It starts with what Pat Bowlen’s wishes were,” Goodell said, via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. “He established the trust to make sure there was an orderly transition of the franchise if something should happen to him. Unfortunately, that did, and Pat wanted to make sure the franchise was in good hands, in good management.”

Goodell didn’t have much new information to offer but he reiterated that the league aims to follow Bowlen’s plan.

“He wants his franchise, the Denver Broncos, to continue to have that success, and that’s why he set up the trust the way he did. For us, we want to make sure that his wishes are followed. I don’t think he’d be happy about the public disputes that are going on.”

The main dispute comes from Beth and Amie, two of Bowlen’s daughters, who are attempting to have the Pat Bowlen Trust removed from power through a lawsuit. The trust has previously said that Beth is not qualified or ready to take over as owner. Her sister, Brittany, is the most likely candidate to become the next owner.

“Unity is something that I think as an organization in the NFL, you have one person who makes a decision on behalf of an ownership group,” Goodell said. “That’s a vital and principal point in our ownership policy, and that is what Pat understood, he wanted that, and we need to have that in the case of all franchises. So that, at some point in time, will have to develop in the context of the Broncos.”

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Joe Ellis says Broncos being sold ‘remains a possibility’

If Pat Bowlen’s children can’t come to agreement, the Broncos might be sold.

Brittany Bowlen has returned to the Broncos a vice president of strategic initiatives and she is being groomed to eventually replace her late father, Pat, as the team’s next controlling owner.

The transition won’t happen smoothly — and it might not happen at all. Beth and Amie, two of Bowlen’s other daughters, are attempting to have the Pat Bowlen Trust removed from power through a lawsuit. The trust was tasked by Bowlen to pass on ownership of the team to one of his children when a candidate was deemed ready to take over and the trust has seemingly decided on Brittany but not all of her siblings agree with the decision.

If the family can’t come to an agreement, selling the team will be among the trust’s options.

“It is an option and we’ve told the beneficiaries that because if Brittany were to succeed and take over for her father, everybody else is going to have to sign off on that, most likely,” Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said Monday. “That may not be a requirement, but it’s going to be necessary, I think, moving forward from a trustee viewpoint. That’s why a sale remains a possibility, I think, given the circumstances we’re in.”

The situation probably won’t be resolved anytime soon.

Ellis continues to support Brittany as a potential future owner.

“She’s got a really good future ahead of her, whether she succeeds he father or not,” Ellis said. “She’s very comfortable in her own skin, very confident, very intelligent and hardworking, unassuming and not trying to have the Bowlen name get her anything in particular.

“As I said, she’s really integrated herself well here in the first month and I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and tell me that.”

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Brittany Bowlen rejoins Broncos as V.P. of Strategic Initiatives

The Broncos are re-hiring Brittany Bowlen and she is expected to be groomed to become the team’s next owner.

The Denver Broncos are bringing back Brittany Bowlen as a Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, according to multiple media reports. She will become the team’s 11th V.P. on staff.

The team is expected to groom Brittany to become the next controlling owner. She will begin working in her new role next Monday.

“Brittany is working toward earning the right to succeed her father, and this is the next step in that process,” Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement, via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. “Given her work experience and depth of knowledge, we’re looking forward to Brittany returning to work for the Broncos and adding value across our organization.”

Brittany, 29, is one of late owner Pat Bowlen’s seven children and she now appears to be the front runner to succeed her father. Bowlen died in June after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Before he died, Bowlen set up a trust and tasked them with passing down ownership of the team to one of his children when a qualified candidate emerged.

Brittany previously worked for the team in 2015 and for the NFL office from 2013-2014. She has been working for McKinsey & Co. since last year.

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