NFL Finance Committee Supports Bronco Sale | Sports

Commissioner Roger Goodell has made minority ownership a critical need in the league. The Walton Boehner Group fulfilled those desires by including Starbucks President Melody Hobson and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, both African Americans.

The deal is the most expensive for a sports franchise in the world, exceeding the $3.1 billion sale of Chelsea earlier this year. The club, one of the most important in European football, was ceded to a consortium headed by Todd Boehle, the minority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Walton, 77, was the president of Walmart. He is the eldest son of founder Sam Walton and Helen Walton, and his fortune is estimated at $60 billion. He would become by far the richest owner in the NFL if the deal went through, as expected.

The Pat Bowlen Trust ran the franchise for several years and put the team up for sale last year after the sons of Hall of Famer Pat Bowlen were unable to agree on a successor for their father.

Bowlen, who bought the team in 1984, died in 2019, a month before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.