Broncos President Joe Ellis meets the Denver media Monday in Florida at the NFL Owner's Meetings (Photo: Brandon Krisztal/KOA)
PALM BEACH, Fla._Of course at the Annual NFL Owner’s Meetings, the conversation about who the next owner of the Broncos will be is a significant discussion topic. Monday, Broncos Team President Joe Ellis addressed where things stand as it relates to determining a new owner to buy the team from the Pat Bowlen Trust, and if the start of the 2022 season is a definite possibility, "yes, yes, start of the regular season, I really believe we can have a new owner in place by that time. Don't hold me to that as a guarantee, but I do think that's a realistic timetable."
One of the first questions any new owner will receive will be, what is the long term viability of Empower Field at Mile High? Ellis thinks that determining if a new stadium is necessary should be high a the new owner's to-do-list. "at a high level, it'll be the Number One decision an owner, the new owner is gonna have to make, "Ellis said, "how are we going to proceed long-term when it comes to the stadium.
There has been plenty of talk about the league wanting more diversity in ownership, which Ellis acknowledged, saying it was a priority, or a "hope" from the league. But the NFL took it a step farther, about two hours after Ellis spoke, the league released a joint statement from all the owners, "The NFL member clubs support the important goal of increasing diversity among ownership. Accordingly, when evaluating a prospective ownership group of a member club pursuant to League policies, the membership will regard it as a positive and meaningful factor if the group includes diverse individuals who would have a significant equity stake in and involvement with the club, including serving as the controlling owner of the club."