Why Damani Leech, not Peyton Manning or John Elway, was exactly what Greg Penner was looking for in the Broncos’ new President

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos were without a team president for less than 48 hours.

Less than a day after the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group were introduced to the public, they hired Damani Leech to be the team’s next president.

No, it’s not Peyton Manning or John Elway.

But Leech exactly what the new ownership group was looking for.

“I think sports experience is really important. Is it absolutely essential? I’d say probably no, but it would make the bar higher to find the right person,” Owner & CEO Greg Penner said at his introductory press conference on Wednesday, when asked what characteristics he’s looking for in the team’s next president.

Although Leech doesn’t have the Hall-of-Fame quarterback title to his name, his background is entirely sports related.

After graduating from Princeton University, Leech landed an internship with the PGA Tour. From there, he spent the next 17 years working for the NCAA, including roles as the Director of Baseball and Football and the Managing Director of Championships and Alliances. During that time, he also earned his Masters from Indiana University.

Then, in 2015, he made the jump to the NFL, most recently serving as the Chief Operating Officer of NFL International.

The new ownership was looking for someone with a background in sports. That’s exactly what they got with Leech.

On the flip side, both Manning and Elway have spent nearly their entire careers not just in sports, but in the NFL. However, both of their experiences have been on the football side. According to Mike Klis, the new ownership group was not looking for someone to oversee the football side of things. Instead, that’ll be left to George Paton, who will report directly to Penner, not the team’s President.

“I am also looking forward to working with George Paton, one of the sharpest GMs in the business,” Penner stated on Wednesday. “He has a terrific vision for the franchise here.”

Penner added the team is going to leave the football decisions to Paton and Nathaniel Hackett.

“The big vision is that we want to win football championships,” Penner continued. “We want to do it in the right way. The first place you have to start is with the people. And on the football side, we couldn’t be more excited about what we have, with George, Nathaniel, Russell in place. Those are the first pieces.”

Whether right or wrong, the new ownership wasn’t looking for another football-focused executive. They were looking for the right leader with a sports background.

“We want someone that [is] really highly [involved with] charity, great values, great leadership, [a] diverse set of experiences,” Penner added when talking about the characteristics they are looking for in the team president. “Someone that aligns with our values as partners here. We can find somebody great.”

Leech’s passion with the NFL has been growing the game internationally and giving more people around the world opportunities to play football and get into the NFL.

In June, on a trip to Ghana, Leech told ESPN the NFL needed to be widespread across the world on TV in order to build the fanbase faster.

Earlier in the year, Leech also hired the first full-time employee in Australia, to grow the game on another continent.

In April, Leech advocated for the Olympics to add flag football for the 2028 summer games.

Now Leech will be focused on growing the Broncos.

Although Leech isn’t the big flashy name, he fits exactly what the new Broncos ownership group was looking for.