Broncos CEO Greg Penner apologizes multiple times to fans for horrid year
Dec 27, 2022, 11:16 AM
Sometimes, you just want an apology.
That’s what Broncos Country received not once, but twice, from CEO Greg Penner on Tuesday. Penner and GM George Paton met with the media 24 hours after firing head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Denver’s 4-11 record has been a massive disappointment, and the way they’ve the lost games has been brutal.
The Broncos are 0-3 in overtime, for example, and have been the laughingstock of the NFL after multiple national television debacles. From the bizarre field goal decision Week 1 in Seattle, to Russell Wilson’s two pitiful interceptions against the Colts, to the OT catastrophe againt the Chargers and the Christmas Day meltdown against the Rams, it’s been awful.
And those games all cost Hackett his job, unable to even finish one season at the helm. The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group (WPFOG) only bought the Broncos a little more than four months ago, so this isn’t their fault. But Penner knows his first season wasn’t good enough, and told the fans as much.
“When we purchased this great franchise in August, this was not the season we were expecting and it’s been a disappointing season for our fans and what they deserve. Their loyalty and support through these difficult seasons has been incredible. I want to personally apologize to our fans and all of Broncos Country. We know that we need to be better and we will,” Penner said.
That apology came in Penner’s opening statement at the presser. When asked more about his message to Broncos Country, Penner doubled down, delivering a second apology while complimenting the fanbase.
“The main message I said, from the beginning, is I’m sorry to the fans. I think the frustration, obviously, of a number of losing season is high. But I think this season is even higher because of the expectations that we had going in. We felt like we had a lot of pieces in place to have a very successful season,” Penner said. “Our fans have been patient. I think we’ve got the best fans in the world, but we need to put a better product on the field.”
Even though Penner wasn’t in charge for all the failures since Super Bowl 50, it’s nice to see him acknowledge what a terrible seven-year stretch this has been. The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs, and with real hope this year, completely crumbled.
An apology doesn’t make everything better, but it’s a start. And Penner nailed his portion of the unfortunate ‘we-just-fired-our-coach’ press conference on Tuesday.
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