The Pat Bowlen Trust has "just two years to make 'significant progress'" in deciding which of the Broncos Owner's seven children will succeed him, as the NFL "has made it clear that it will not allow the process of choosing a successor to go on indefinitely," according to sources cited by David Migoya in a front-page piece for the DENVER POST. Bowlen, who in July stepped away from the franchise due to the effects of Alzheimer's disease, a decade ago "mapped out a succession plan through the trust, ensuring one of his children would take the lead ownership role." But Migoya reported Bowlen "didn't set a deadline, leaving it to three trustees -- including team president and CEO Joe Ellis -- to decide which of the children actually has the ability to do the job." Broncos Corporate Partnerships Coordinator John Bowlen, who is Pat's brother, said that although the NFL "has not set a precise time limit ... it's unclear how much longer than two years the league might be willing to wait -- if at all." John Bowlen said that if none of Pat's children "can prove to the trustees they have the ability to run the team -- and some have shown an interest in trying -- then the family must sell." He doubts that the NFL "would be so harsh as to force a sale if a successor isn't at least identified within two years." But the NFL "has a history of impatience when it comes to ownership changes, typically giving no more than two years to hash things out." Migoya cited sources as saying that while "offering the Broncos for sale is likely to draw a number of suitors ... the list would probably begin and end" at Broncos Exec VP/Football Operations John Elway (DENVER POST, 9/21).
