The Denver Broncos finally cleared the last legal hurdle of the ownership battle when the NFL unanimously approved the sale of the team to the Walton-Penner group earlier this month. The group — comprised of personalities such as Walmart heir Rob Walton, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton — are now the fifth ownership in team history.
Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles was effusive in his praise of the group, saying that they are going to build on the winning legacy of late former owner Pat Bowlen.
“[The Bowlen family] changed this whole city, and they changed this organization,” Bolles said earlier this summer. “The Walton-Penner group are going to come in here and take what the Bowlen family has done and just continue to run with it and build it.”
In their introductory press conference as a new ownership group, owner Greg Penner addressed the expectations that are in place.
“The Broncos are an iconic franchise that means so much to Denver, Colorado and the whole region,” Penner said. “Following in the footsteps of Pat Bowlen and Joe Ellis, are no small feat. Our Broncos fans have high expectations, we know that, and we embrace it. We believe that a winning team and organization require the right people, high expectations, the necessary resources, and accountability. We are committed to that, and we are going to draw on this diverse ownership group to succeed.”
While the group begins to wet their feet in the day-to-day operations of the team, Bolles expressed excitement for the future.
“I’m looking forward to all the amazing memories and all the amazing things that we are going to do and accomplish, both on the field and off the field.”
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