Denver Native (Carol)
02-01-2017, 07:36 PM
HOUSTON — Pat Bowlen has a plan and the plan remains in place, one compliant with the NFL and operating with success.
The Broncos’ longtime owner established a trust in the late 1990s to serve as a vehicle to transfer controlling ownership of the team to one of his seven children.
In 2014, Bowlen announced he would step down from his day-to-day duties of running the team because of Alzheimer’s. In his absence, and until the team’s next owner is named, the daily decisions of running the team are being made by three trustees — team president/CEO Joe Ellis, general counsel/executive vice president Rich Slivka and Denver attorney Mary Kelly. It is also up to those three to select Bowlen’s successor.
The transition process has raised questions from outsiders about transparency and the timetable for succession. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the Broncos have been compliant with ownership rules and remain under the watch of Pat Bowlen.
“They have an owner: It’s Pat Bowlen,” Goodell said. “Unfortunately he has significant health challenges right now. I worked with Pat directly so I know he set up a system that was compliant with our rules if such an unfortunate situation occurred. And Pat is someone I deeply admire and respect, so the trust has worked effectively in the short term. But it’s a decision at some point in time that the membership will have to make — the Finance Committee and the broader membership — of whether that’s compliant and whether any changes they make beyond the trust will be consistent with our policies.”
rest - http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/01/denver-broncos-team-ownership-roger-goodell/
The Broncos’ longtime owner established a trust in the late 1990s to serve as a vehicle to transfer controlling ownership of the team to one of his seven children.
In 2014, Bowlen announced he would step down from his day-to-day duties of running the team because of Alzheimer’s. In his absence, and until the team’s next owner is named, the daily decisions of running the team are being made by three trustees — team president/CEO Joe Ellis, general counsel/executive vice president Rich Slivka and Denver attorney Mary Kelly. It is also up to those three to select Bowlen’s successor.
The transition process has raised questions from outsiders about transparency and the timetable for succession. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the Broncos have been compliant with ownership rules and remain under the watch of Pat Bowlen.
“They have an owner: It’s Pat Bowlen,” Goodell said. “Unfortunately he has significant health challenges right now. I worked with Pat directly so I know he set up a system that was compliant with our rules if such an unfortunate situation occurred. And Pat is someone I deeply admire and respect, so the trust has worked effectively in the short term. But it’s a decision at some point in time that the membership will have to make — the Finance Committee and the broader membership — of whether that’s compliant and whether any changes they make beyond the trust will be consistent with our policies.”
rest - http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/01/denver-broncos-team-ownership-roger-goodell/