Last year, owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner began establishing five values important to the Broncos. Two of them: Do the right thing and be accountable.
Last week, the ownership group faced its first public challenge to this creed when outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite was arrested and accused of punching a police officer in the departure lane at Denver International Airport.
How did the Broncos handle the responsibility of holding an employee to a standard for personal conduct? The team parted ways with Wilhoite on Wednesday.
This was not about grandstanding or a referendum on his guilt or innocence. It was an example of ownership’s actions matching their words. It sent a message — the right one — to their roughly 280 employees and the community on how they view incidents like this.
Wilhoite is charged with felony assault of an officer, misdemeanor obstructing an officer and criminal mischief. His next scheduled court appearance is March 10. He is entitled to due process, but a felony charge is cause for termination based on the language in multiple NFL coaching contracts read by The Denver Post — though not one from the Broncos.
Wilhoite was highly regarded by management and players, viewed as a future defensive coordinator. Nobody wants to see someone lose their job. But the Broncos — Greg Penner, head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton — were on the same page as they worked through this.
It was no coincidence that Payton, not a nameless team spokesman, issued a statement in the wake of Wilhoite’s departure. It read, in part, “We recognize the serious nature of the allegations against (Wilhoite) and believe this is the best course of action at this time.”
The inference from “at this time”? Payton hopes Wilhoite will coach again. The transparency helps create credibility. Too many teams hide in these instances, waiting for the league to discipline a player or coach.
Listen, Payton is no angel. The NFL banned him for the 2012 season for his involvement in the New Orleans Saints’ Bountygate scandal. But covering him the past two seasons, it appears his instincts on right and wrong have been sharpened from experience.
Management decided Wilhoite, 38, needed to deal with his situation while the Broncos kept their train moving forward without him.
It is naïve to think the Broncos will handle all off-field situations the same way. Sports exist in a gray area, and it requires an open mind and diligence, starting with ownership. But even if the results are not perfect, the collaborative process of reaching a decision based on the franchise’s identity should be.
The Broncos learned of Wilhoite’s arrest on Feb. 23. They gathered information from the Denver Police Department. They talked to the league, which is reviewing the case for disciplinary action, and spoke with Wilhoite. Then, they made a decision earlier this week, one that would have likely come sooner if not for the hours consumed by the NFL combine.
Not everyone will agree with it. But a pattern is emerging with the Broncos. In December, the team waived receiver Josh Reynolds, a key offseason free agent addition, who was involved in an off-field incident as well.
Reynolds broke his finger in Week 5. While sidelined, Reynolds was shot twice after leaving Shotgun Willie’s strip club in the early morning hours of Oct. 18. The Denver District Attorney’s Office called the shooting a “coordinated, organized” attack.
Rookie receivers Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele emerged in Reynolds’ absence, but the Broncos did not have to release Reynolds. They moved on.
This represents a positive trend with these owners. They want to win, but they are not placing football over everything. Nor should they.
This franchise is a civic institution. The Broncos pride themselves on their work in their community. They were the recipients of ESPN’s 2022 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year award in July of 2022.
Three weeks later, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group bought the team. The owners understand that the same community they have embedded themselves in now looks to them. How they manage situations like this matters.
It does not mean there is a zero-tolerance policy or that they must be heavy-handed. But they are clearly drawing lines in the sand. They want to operate a certain way, providing players resources to succeed, while adhering to high standards. For the second straight season, the ownership group received an A grade in the NFL Players Association team report cards.
Do the right thing and accountability is not some marketing slogan gleaned from AI. The owners are intentional in how they run the team and what they want this organization to stand for.
This will not be the last incident the owners and management have to navigate. But their actions this week set the correct precedent.
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