Russell Wilson Believes Walton-Penner Group will Help Broncos Win
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Things can change quickly in the NFL. In little more than a year, the Denver Broncos hired a new general manager, a coaching staff led by head man Nathaniel Hackett, and acquired a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback in Russell Wilson.
The changes keep coming. Last week, the Walton-Penner group officially agreed to terms to purchase the Broncos for a whopping $4.65 billion. The groundbreaking business deal is a record price for a North American professional sports franchise.
Led by Walmart billionaire Rob Walton, the group also includes his daughter Carrie Walton Penner and her husband Greg Penner. The sale agreement is subject to review by the league’s current owners and is expected to be completed within 60 to 90 days.
As a relative newcomer himself, what are Wilson's thoughts on the Walton-Penner group?
“I think the new ownership group is going to be great,” Wilson said after the Broncos reported to a mandatory three-day minicamp on Monday. “I think with change there comes great opportunity. I think with Mr. Walton, getting to know him—they came here a couple months ago, maybe, or whatever it was—I got to spend some time with them. I got to spend time with Mr. Walton himself. I got to spend time with Greg Penner. I got to spend time with Carrie as well. We’ve had some really good bonding moments just about life and success and visions and all the things that they wanted to do and how they wanted to impact the Broncos.”
The financial powerhouse of business experts will also include Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, chair of the board of Starbucks Corp. and a director at JP Morgan Chase. A graduate of Princeton University, Hobson married George Lucas in 2013 and will be heavily utilized by the Walton-Penner family and ownership group. She'll be the first black woman to have an ownership stake in an NFL team.
Wilson was able to connect with Hobson on Monday.
“What a tremendous accomplishment and what a gift to be able to do what she’s going to do,” Wilson said. “She’s the first black woman to do this. This is a big deal. This is history. I think it’s gone over people’s heads a little bit. It’s news. It’s a tremendous representation for minorities, but Blacks in particular. I think the growth within the NFL and what they are trying to do—the Waltons, too. To do that and honor that is pretty awesome. I think that relationship is really important, and we want to do everything we can to win. That dialogue is everything. That’s what helps win.”
Clearly Wilson was brought to Denver to win football games and a championship. But he’s more than an elite and accomplished franchise QB. In less than three months, Wilson and his family have dived headfirst into Broncos Country and their new home in Colorado.
The pulse and energy of the 2022 Broncos is at an all-time high at 5280 feet above sea level. A once historic franchise draped in the traditions of winning championships and a close relationship with the fanbase has been reignited in Denver.
Always a first-class act, Wilson appropriately acknowledged the historic legacy of the Bowlen family as the Broncos transition into a new era of team ownership.
“Obviously, I think there has been such an amazing tradition here," Wilson said. "I know how much the Bowlen family meant to this Broncos organization. They will forever be a part of this organization.”
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