Greek-American businessman Dean Metropoulos is reportedly part of an investment group interested in purchasing the Denver Broncos, a team in the NFL.
In a recent report from the Los Angeles Times, Metropoulos is a part of three partners, which includes billionaires Alec Gores, 69, of Gores Group and Mat Ishbia, 42, CEO of UWM Holdings, that are looking to make a bid for the Broncos.
The trio are worth a combined $10 billion, according to an estimate from Forbes. Denver’s NFL franchise will likely be sold for $4 billion or more, according to USA Today’s Broncos Wire.
“It is uncertain whether the three men would consider additional investors” for their bid, according to the LA Times’ Bill Shaikin. Peyton Manning and John Elway are both interested in joining the team’s next potential ownership group.
“I do have interest in being a part of it,’’ said Elway in an interview with KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. “I’m not looking to be the face of the franchise. Whoever puts up that kind of money and whoever is that owner, it’s their franchise. It’s their team. My hope would be to help support the new owner.”
Elway won two Super Bowls as a quarterback with the Broncos during his playing days before later returning to the team as an executive. He served as a general manager for 10 years, and the team won a third Super Bowl in 2015.
Elway stepped down from his GM duties last year but he will remain the president of football operations until his contract expires later this offseason. Elway would like to remain part of the team going forward, and joining a potential new ownership group would allow him to do so.
Meanwhile, Manning has not yet announced his potential interest, but Klis reported Monday that the ex-NFL QB is “listening to prospective investors” who have reached out to him.
The Denver Broncos go for sale
On February 1, 2022, the Denver Broncos announced that they were up for sale. Prior to that, Pat Bowlen was the owner and CEO of the team from 1984 to 2019, after which ownership was transferred to The Patrick D. Bowlen Trust, which consisted of Joe Ellis, Rich Slivka, and Mary Kelly.
The LA Times reported that it was widely expected the Denver Broncos sale would eclipse Steve Cohen’s purchase of the New York Mets baseball team for $2.4 billion, which would make it the most expensive purchase of a North American sports team in history.
The Broncos are valued at $3.8 billion by Sportico. However, given the Broncos’ avid following and the rarity of an NFL team available for sale, the bidding is expected to hit $4 billion.
The Broncos hope to complete a sale before the 2022 NFL season.
The Greek connection
Metropoulos is an investment titan, who was born in 1946 in Tripoli, Greece. He is known for owning Hostess Brands. He also bought and later sold the Pabst Brewing Company.
He lives in Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife, Marianne.
They have two sons, Even and Daren. He and Marianne purchased the Playboy Mansion for $100 million in 2016.
Watch an exclusive interview with Dean Metropoulos filmed a few years ago.
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