Schefter thinks the Flores lawsuit could affect Broncos ownership

On Tuesday, there were two pieces of big Broncos news that dropped. While seemingly not related, they could end up being connected down the road.

First, it became official that the franchise was up for sale. It was the worst-kept secret in town, but it finally was announced by the Pat Bowlen Trust.

The Pat Bowlen Trust announced today the beginning of a sale process for the Denver Broncos.

Joe Ellis: “Whoever emerges as the new owner will certainly understand what the team means to our great fans and this community.” pic.twitter.com/ubfPc4TjID

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) February 1, 2022

After 38 years, the Broncos would no longer be owned by Pat Bowlen and/or his heirs. For the first time since 1984, the storied franchise was on the market.

But that wasn’t the biggest bombshell of the day. That came later when Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in the head coach hiring process.

Three teams are names specifically in the suit – the Giants, Dolphins and Broncos. Denver is included because they interviewed Flores in 2019, when they ultimately hired Vic Fangio as their head coach. It is alleged by Flores that his interview with the team was a “sham,” simply a way for them to fulfill their obligation of interviewing a minority candidate under the Rooney Rule.

Flores alleges he was part of a sham interview with a hungover Broncos group in 2019 before they went with Vic Fangio pic.twitter.com/LMEQYcpCgl

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 1, 2022

How are the two stories related? Well, Adam Schefter appeared on “The Drive” with Tyler Polumbus and DMac. The ESPN NFL insider thinks the Flores allegations could steer the sales of the Broncos in a particular direction.

“My opinion would be, and I stress my opinion, is that the NFL is going to do what it can to come into 2022 and do its best to find a black owner,” Schefter explained. “I would expect that to be the case. I’m not telling you it will be the case. I don’t know how it will unfold.”

It would be a continuation of a direction the NFL has tried to go in recent years.

“We’ve tried to seek diversity in every facet of society,” Schefter continued. “The league has sought to seek diversity, unsuccessfully, amongst its head coaches. But efforts to have a more diverse hiring process with general managers have been successful this offseason, by and large.”

The next step would be on the ownership front.

“For the league to not want to have black ownership – not just with one team, but with many teams – would be wrong,” Schefter added. “I don’t know how the process of selling a team works. I do think the league is involved and has a say in the process. I do think they would like to steer it, if they can, in a certain way, all bids being relatively equal.”

Will this be the case? That remains to be seen.

“I’ve never been privy to this,” Schefter concluded. “But isn’t that plausible and logical?”

Two big stories on one day. Seemingly unconnected, they could very much be intertwined in the coming months.