New Broncos' President Evaluates Future of Mile High Stadium
On Monday, as news of six roster cuts was hitting the wire, the Denver Broncos held court at UCHealth Training Center to introduce new team president Damani Leech. As the first executive hire of new team CEO Greg Penner, Leech was introduced to Broncos Country on Tuesday, alongside his employer and new partner, general manager George Paton.
Although Leech was hired for his expertise on the business side of operations, it's fair to wonder how much impact and influence he'll have on the actual football product on the field. Leech addressed that topic head-on, clarifying what the division of labor will be at Dove Valley.
“Good question. I think one of the things, you [may] have heard me say it and others say, that our currency around here is winning. We are a football club. We're a football organization," Leech said on Monday. "So all the oars are in the water in that direction, of being a successful football club on the field. My responsibility is to work with George, and I'll do that. We have a great relationship already."
Any good NFL operation has a successful business branch entwined with a winning football team on the field. Leech's brief is to elevate the business side by working alongside Paton without meddling.
"To support football and business, these two things can't be successful without each other," Leech said. "So we will have great communication, great candid, open communication and my focus is outside the lines. I won't be picking players or calling plays. I'm focused on the fans and the community. Growing our fan base tremendously of Broncos Country and doing what we can to make our players successful on the field and off the field."
As Leech takes over for former CEO and team president Joe Ellis, who is staying on short-term in an advisory role to help with the transition, one of the hot topics among Broncos fans is the stadium, and whether the team will look to either a.) make any upgrades, or b.) set the wheels in motion to build a new one. Empower Field at Mile High is now more than 20 years old.
“First of all, Empower Field at Mile High is a first-class facility," Leech said. "It not only hosts amazing NFL games, but concerts and other events and it is a core part of this community. There are a number of things that I will be looking at as I take over in this organization, obviously the stadium is one of them. On day one, I don’t have any proclamations to make, but it is certainly something that I will be evaluating.”
To be decided...
Leech is a highly respected sports executive and is viewed internally as an innovator with 25 years of experience at both the professional and collegiate levels. He joins the Broncos after serving as chief operating officer of NFL International for the last three seasons.
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