NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his annual State of the League address stressed the importance of following late Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen's wishes for the team and said that "finding his successor will have to happen -- eventually," according to Nicki Jhabvala of THE ATHLETIC. Goodell said Bowlen "wanted to make sure the franchise was in good hands, in good management." He said Bowlen "understood the importance of the league policies, and he supported that." Goodell: "We want to make sure that his wishes are followed. I don't think he'd be happy about the public disputes that are going on." Jhabvala noted in December, Broncos President & CEO Joe Ellis "issued an ultimatum to the Bowlen family, that either they all agree to the appointment" of VP/Strategic Initiative Brittany Bowlen, Pat's 30-year-old daughter, or the trustees "sell the Broncos, which the trust gives them full and absolute authority to do." Ellis' mandate, however, is "not a league requirement, nor is it a stipulation of Bowlen's trust and will." Disputes over the "future of the franchise have already resulted in five total lawsuits and a request for NFL arbitration." Ellis is of the mind that "without unity and full buy-in from the family members, more disputes will continue" (THEATHLETIC.com, 1/29). In Denver, Ryan O'Halloran cites a source as saying that there is "almost no chance" the other six Bowlen children would "unanimously endorse Brittany's ascension." That is "why selling the team is firmly on Ellis' radar" (DENVER POST, 1/30).
