Formula One star Lewis Hamilton has joined the Denver Broncos franchise as a co-owner.
The seven-time champion has become a part of the Walton-Penner family takeover of the three-time Super Bowl champions.
A statement by Rob Walton, on behalf of the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, Tuesday read: 'We're delighted to welcome seven-time Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton to our ownership group.
'He is a champion competitor who knows what it takes to lead a winning team and a fierce advocate for global equality, including in his own sport.
'With over 100 race wins, Lewis is considered the most successful driver of all time.
'His resilient spirit and standard of excellence will be an asset to the ownership group and the Broncos organization.'
Formula One star Lewis Hamilton has joined the Denver Broncos franchise as a co-owner
Hamilton alongside Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson at Canada Grand Prix in 2018
Walmart Chairman Rob Walton in the process of buying the Broncos for a reported $4.65 billion, pending approval from the NFL's finance committee and league ownership
The Broncos reached a $4.65billion agreement to sell the club to the Walmart heirs.
If the purchase is approved by the NFL, the deal would be the highest price ever for an American sports franchise.
NFL bosses will reportedly meet a week today to determine the bid but it is set to be passed. The purchase needs approval from the NFL's finance committee and league ownership.
A cutout of late Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and cutouts of three Vince Lombardi Trophies are seen in the upper stands of Empower Field at Mile High in the first quarter of a game against the Miami Dolphins on November 22, 2020
The Walton-Penner family, led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, will acquire the Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust, controlled by the surviving children of the late club owner. Both sides announced the deal in June without specifying a sales price, but Forbes, ESPN and other outlets are reporting that figure to be around $4.65bn.
Walton's proposed ownership team also includes his daughter, Carrie, and her husband, Greg Penner.
Forbes valued the Broncos at $3.75bn in 2021, estimating it at No. 10 on the list of franchise valuation.
If the Walton sale goes through, Jim Walton would become the second NFL owner from the extended Walton family. Ann Walton Kroenke, who is Jim Walton's cousin, is married to Stan Kroenke, owner of the Los Angeles Rams.
Hamilton alongside NFL star Tom Brady at the Big Pilot Charity Challenge in May this year
'We are thrilled to be selected to move forward with the purchase of the Denver Broncos!' Walton said in a statement late on Tuesday.
'Carrie [Walton-Penner], Greg (Penner) and I are inspired by the opportunity to steward this great organization in a vibrant community full of opportunity and passionate fans.'
Bowlen acquired the Broncos in 1984 and the franchise won three Super Bowls during his reign. Bowlen's trust assumed the ownership after he died in 2019.
Walton, 77, has a net worth of $65 billion and is the 19th-richest person in the world, per Forbes. The Walmart fortune is so vast that his siblings, Alice and Jim, also are among the world's 20 richest people on Forbes' list of billionaires.
The Broncos are coming off a dismal 7-10 season and a turbulent end to the Bowlen family's tenure as owners, which involved a protracted court battle between late owner Pat Bowlen's children.
In anticipation of the sale, the Broncos front office, led by former Denver quarterback John Elway, traded for Seattle Seahawks superstar Russell Wilson in March.
Wilson waived his no-trade clause in March to facilitate the deal, and still has two years remaining on his contract.
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