William Bowlen, the brother of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, filed a lawsuit in a Colorado District Court on Thursday to remove the three-person trust in control of the team.
In a press release, William Bowlen accused the trustees of failing to uphold Pat Bowlen's wishes and act in his best interests and that of the team.
The Broncos released the following statement from Dan Reilly, legal counsel for the Pat D. Bowlen Trust:
We have not seen this lawsuit and first learned of it through a media report tonight.
Although we are currently reviewing this matter, we are aware that the counsel submitting this complaint on behalf of Bill Bowlen is the same one that has been representing Beth Bowlen Wallace.
The trustees will continue to execute Pat Bowlen's long-standing succession plan for the Denver Broncos in compliance with all NFL ownership policies.
Since June, two of Pat Bowlen's daughters -- Beth Bowlen Wallace and Brittany Bowlen -- have expressed interest in running the team someday. Pat Bowlen, 74, relinquished day-to-day control of the team to Broncos president Joe Ellis in July 2014 after publicly announcing he was battling Alzheimer's Disease. Ellis, Rich Slivka and Mary Kelly serve as the trustees of the Bowlen trust.
Pat Bowlen and his siblings purchased the Broncos in 1984 from Edgar Kaiser. Under Bowlen family ownership, the Broncos have won three Super Bowl titles and have reached the big game seven times.
