John Bowlen’s Future As Owner in Doubt
By Tylor Walden
Aug 21, 2014; Englewood, CO, USA; General view of the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Center at the Denver Broncos Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Pat Bowlen’s son, John Bowlen, is a corporate partnerships coordinator for the Broncos. However, it appears that he will be taking a vacation from his job for the foreseeable future.
Broncos announced they placed John Bowlen Jr. - son of the Broncos' owner - on indefinite leave of absence for his domestic violence arrest.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 4, 2015
The Broncos announced John Bowlen, son of owner Pat, has been placed on indefinite leave following his arrest on a DV harassment charge.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) June 4, 2015
On Wednesday, John Bowlen was arrested on domestic violence charges and interference of a phone call. This was reported by 9News writers Mike Klis and Robert Garrison. The arrest stemmed from an altercation between John Bowlen and his girlfriend. He was accused of shoving his girlfriend against a bathroom wall while attempting to call authorities.
According to the report, John Bowlen was under the influence of alcohol and a nitrous oxide-filled cartridge called “whippits.” which is inhaled in order to get an individual high. John Bowlen was released from jail as he posted a $1,000 bond.
The Broncos released a statement on the leave of absence and can be read below.
the @Broncos official statement on arrest of John Bowlen Jr. on alleged domestic violence. pic.twitter.com/uU2sBAuwQE
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) June 4, 2015
This was a good move by the Broncos. The team knows it is the best thing for the organization to remove any type of distraction that can hamper the Denver Broncos as a whole. They did it with Antonio Smith, and now they have done so with John Bowlen. This shows that anyone associated with the Denver Broncos get treated the same way. It is not any different for players than it is with coaches and personnel. This arrest could also impact what the team decides to do in regards to the ownership of the Denver Broncos. Mike Klis states that it “was not a good day for the future of Broncos ownership.” As of now, his latest run in with the law would probably prevent John Bowlen from owning the team for the foreseeable future. Brittany Bowlen and Beth Bowlen Wallace could be the two candidates to one day take over the organization. However, Brittany’s age (she is currently 25 years old) and with Beth attending law school at Denver University, it could take some time before the Broncos have a true owner in place.
No matter how you spin it, John Bowlen’s future as far as the owner position is concerned is in jeopardy. It is very unlikely that the Broncos would want the organization run by someone associated with domestic violence.