Mark Knudson’s Three Strikes Blog: Strike One:
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April Fools? How about the on-going Denver Broncos ownership mess?
STRIKE ONE: As the Denver Broncos commence off season team activities this week, the team’s ownership mess continues to fester. If there are any legit April Fools in our town, the Denver Broncos current ownership “trustees” get that prize.
Lawsuits, grudges, greed. The struggle for future control over the Denver Broncos could be a FOX TV series. Regardless of which side of the Beth v Brittany side you’re on, the one thing that cannot be debated is that the sorry state of the current leadership situation is dragging the once-proud franchise down into the slog of mediocrity.
All you have to do glance around and the great franchises in pro sports, and you see solid ownership (membership in Florida ‘spas’ notwithstanding.) Winners are built from the top down. So are losers. The Broncos current group is not populated by the former.
Things figure to get worse, not better, soon. The NFL has assigned former San Francisco 49’er executive Carmen Policy to be the arbitrator of the legal case brought by one of Pat Bowlen’s brothers, Bill Bowlen. It aims to strip the three-person trustee group of its decision making ability and make them accountable to someone other than themselves. Bill Bowlen points out the obvious – that an elongated transfer process does nothing but benefit the Trustees, who get to continue to run the franchise while Pat Bowlen is still alive but not involved in running the team.
When the day finally arrives that the Hall of Fame owner is no longer with us, all hell could break loose. Until then, the mystery about who will be the next Denver Broncos owner will continue to build, while the franchise will continue to struggle.
Clearly, CEO Joe Ellis and the other two trustees are bidding their time, having successfully asked the NFL get involved and arbitrate the court battle. It all comes down to a struggle for control between Pat’s brothers and siblings from his first marriage, versus the trustees, current wife Annabel Bowlen and her children.
So in this corner is 47-year-old Beth Bowlen-Wallace – experienced, seemingly qualified but not in good standing with her stepmother. In the other corner is propped up 28-year-old wet-behind-the-ears Brittany Bowlen, not close to being ready to assume controlling interest but the perfect face for “patience and development,” while the trustees keep control.
The whole sordid affair is fit for a television drama. In fact, HBO should just postpone this summer’s edition of “Hard Knocks” and replace it with “As the Bowlen’s Turn.”
The best solution is best for all involved: When Pat is gone, it will be time to sell the Broncos. Can someone get Philip Anschutz on the phone?
Wanna argue? Hit me up on Twitter @MarkKnudson41. Coming Wednesday: What do the young Nuggets have left in the tank?
