NFL NEWS

Broncos owner Bowlen resigns control of team

The Sports Xchange

July 23, 2014 at 10:06 am.

"The Broncos are very saddened that Mr. Bowlen is no longer able to be part of the team's daily operations due to his condition," the Broncos announced in a statement. "We continue to offer our full support, compassion and respect to 'Mr. B,' who has faced Alzheimer's disease with such dignity and strength." Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is resigning control of the team to focus on battling Alzheimer’s Disease.

“The Broncos are very saddened that Mr. Bowlen is no longer able to be part of the team’s daily operations due to his condition,” the Broncos announced in a statement. “We continue to offer our full support, compassion and respect to ‘Mr. B,’ who has faced Alzheimer’s disease with such dignity and strength.”

Team president Joe Ellis is assuming control of the franchise, which Bowlen purchased in 1984 when the team faced bankruptcy. In 16 playoff appearances, the Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl six times. Bowlen was instrumental in pushing for and landing Peyton Manning in Denver along with general manager and vice president of football operations John Elway.

“This is a sad day for the NFL,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday in a statement released by the league. “Pat Bowlen’s leadership has been critical to the success of the Broncos and the entire NFL. From building a championship team that is a pillar of the community to his important work for the league on television and labor matters, Pat’s love of the game drove him and we have all benefited from his passion and wisdom. But the time has come for Pat to focus on his health and we fully support him. Joe Ellis has been a trusted executive for Pat for many years after working with us at the league office. Joe’s deep experience ensures that the Broncos will continue to have strong leadership.”

The Pat Bowlen Trust was established to keep the team in the family. Bowlen has seven children and there is no plan to sell the team.

“Plans for this trust were arranged by Mr. Bowlen beginning more than a decade ago as part of his succession plan to keep the Broncos in the Bowlen family,”

Ellis became team president in 2011 and serves as the team’s chief executive officer as league matters require.

“It’s a really, really sad day,” Ellis told the Denver Post. “It’s sad for his family, his wife and his seven children. It’s sad for everyone in the organization. And it’s sad for all the Bronco fans who know what Pat Bowlen meant to them as an owner. It’s a day nobody wanted to see happen.”