Beth Bowlen Wallace, the daughter of former Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, released a statement to The Denver Post on Wednesday on the state of the organization. 

Bowlen Wallace and her sister Amie Klemmer are suing the Broncos trustees of her father’s estate, claiming their father lacked capacity when the trust was changed in 2009 — Bowlen died in June 2019 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Now, it would appear with the statement released Wednesday, if Bowlen Wallace and her sister were to win the lawsuit, their intentions would be to sell the team. Bowlen Wallace and Klemmer are the oldest of Bowlen’s seven children. 

The 194-word statement reads as follows:

“My sister, Amie, my uncle, John Bowlen and I have had the privilege, along with all fans that bleed orange and blue, of seeing what a winning team looks like. Watching these past few seasons has been extremely painful and we continue to see no other way to restore the franchise but through a transition of ownership of the Denver Broncos.

“My father, Pat Bowlen, would never have accepted the team’s current state. Fortunately, my father’s legacy as one of the NFL’s greatest owners has been solidified at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We will forever reflect on the over 30 years of ownership that got him there with great pride. Our desire for this team is to be restored to its winning ways and see more Super Bowl championships for Broncos country. We have been committed to and will continue to pursue resolutions on all issues in order to ensure a smooth and timely transition.

“We are hopeful that the current leadership agrees that this is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos and most importantly, it is in the best interests of our incredibly loyal fans, my father’s legacy and the Bowlen family.”

Annabel Bowlen, the surviving spouse of Bowlen, responded with her own statement Wednesday evening with her attorney, Hugh Gottschalk, saying Annabel is the primary beneficiary of the trust. 

“Ms. Wallace does not represent my client’s views or the views of the majority of the beneficiaries. Moreover, Ms. Wallace has filed a lawsuit that alleges that Mr. Bowlen lacked the capacity to execute the estate planning documents that appointed the trustees, and that the trustees therefore have no authority,” the statement said. “Although we strongly disagree with these allegations and believe the estate plan will be upheld at the trial scheduled for July of 2021, any efforts to even consider selling the team before the trustees’ authority is confirmed is unwise and impractical, and would be contrary to Pat Bowlen’s wishes to have the Bowlen family continue to own the Broncos if one of his children develops the ability to take over the role of controlling owner.”

The lawsuit with the Bowlen’s oldest daughters versus the trustees, including Bowlen’s youngest daughter, Brittany, was recently rescheduled for July 12, 2021. 

This lawsuit will play a major role in the future of the Broncos organization as the NFL recently announced that it will mandate “that one person hold the minimum amount of equity in the team.” With Joe Ellis, Rich Slivka and Mary Kelly representing the Broncos currently, this could become a potential issue, with teams being fined up to $2 million per year for not complying. 

Ellis said in December 2019 that if the franchise could be up for sale if Brittany is not chosen unanimously by Bowlen’s seven children.

“It is an option, and we’ve told the beneficiaries that, because if Brittany were to succeed and take over for her father, everybody else is going to have to sign off on that, most likely,” Ellis said. “That may not be a requirement, but it’s going to be necessary, I think, moving forward from a trustee viewpoint. That’s why a sale remains a possibility I think — given the circumstances we’re in.”