Broncos’ ownership: Questions and answers as team enters uncertain season

The Broncos commencement the play Sunday astatine the New York Giants with the aforesaid unreality that has been hovering implicit the franchise for the past respective years: A deficiency of clarity astir the future.

President/CEO Joe Ellis remains astatine the apical of the team’s masthead but has nary involvement successful signing a caller declaration erstwhile his existent statement expires successful March.

So what’s going connected with ownership? Here are immoderate questions and attempted answers:

Q: When did this soap opera legitimately start?

A: Some whitethorn constituent to July 2013, erstwhile Pat Bowlen relinquished day-to-day power of the Broncos owed to Alzheimer’s. The controlling ownership was placed successful a household spot overseen by Ellis, squad counsel Rich Slivka and Denver lawyer Mary Kelly. But concern truly picked up connected May 31, 2018, erstwhile Beth Bowlen Wallace — the 2nd of Bowlen’s 8 children — declared her involvement successful succeeding her father. Hours later, the trustees debunked her candidacy successful specified a substance that Wallace became committed to removing them from power.

Q: On the suit front, what were the main ones, and are immoderate inactive active?

A: None are active. The archetypal superior suit was filed connected Oct. 25, 2018, by Bill Bowlen, Pat’s brother, to region the trustees “due to their nonaccomplishment to uphold Pat Bowlen’s wishes and enactment successful the champion involvement of Pat Bowlen, his household and the Broncos.” That suit was dismissed successful August 2019. Weeks later, the 2nd large conflict began erstwhile Wallace and older sister Amie Klemmer filed a petition seeking to invalidate their father’s spot connected the grounds helium did not person the capableness to motion his estate-planning documents and that the trustees unduly influenced him. That was dismissed connected July 14.

Q: For truthful long, Wallace/Klemmer was connected a collision people against the trustees and headed to trial. What happened?

A: All parties are operating nether non-disclosure agreements adjacent though the contented has nationalist implications (fans wage the salaries of Ellis and Slivka and assistance summation the worth of the franchise to payment Wallace and Klemmer). The champion projection is colony talks were acold capable on that the sides agreed a proceedings wasn’t necessary.

Q: What was the main takeaway from Ellis’ comments erstwhile grooming campy opened?

A: Ellis said connected July 27: “Our extremity is to beryllium capable to laic out, erstwhile the play is over, for everybody a timeline for modulation of ownership that volition instrumentality spot adjacent year, anterior to the commencement of the season.” All signs constituent toward that modulation meaning the squad is enactment up for sale.

Q: Why enactment the squad up for merchantability erstwhile Brittany Bowlen is funny successful becoming the adjacent controlling owner?

A: Family dynamics. On Dec. 30, 2019, Ellis said unanimous household enactment for Brittany “may not beryllium a requirement, but it’s going to beryllium indispensable moving forward.” Ellis added that if that didn’t happen, the Broncos would yet beryllium sold. To his credit, Ellis has ne'er tried to locomotion backmost from that statement. And 1 happening we cognize for definite — determination is not afloat household enactment for Brittany; Wallace and Klemmer won’t motion off.

Q: When is the earliest the Broncos could spell connected the marketplace and yet beryllium sold?

A: The time aft the play (Jan. 10, 2022) and precocious March astatine the yearly league gathering successful Florida. There’s nary crushed to deliberation Ellis volition determination his timeline of presenting a modulation program and if the squad is enactment up for sale, the process could determination rapidly and beryllium presented to the different 31 teams for support erstwhile the league convenes.

Q: Will the Broncos’ merchantability terms acceptable a record?

A: Yes. It whitethorn shatter the U.S. sports franchise grounds of $2.35 cardinal (Brooklyn Nets) and the NFL grounds of $2.275 cardinal (Carolina Panthers). Because franchise valuations are expected to sky-rocket owed to the caller tv declaration ($110 cardinal implicit 11 years) and the emergence of legalized sports gambling, the trustees could bid a merchantability terms of $5 billion.