Broncos owners spent big to go all out for Week 18 game
Oct 30, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Denver Broncos owner Rob Walton reacts during an NFL International Series game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. The Broncos defeated the Jaguars 21-17. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos’ new owners are not messing around when it comes to showing how much they care about quality.
The Broncos’ new leadership group realized that the playing field at Empower Field in Denver had looked very beat up and below their standards. So the group, led by CEO and owner Greg Penner, spent nearly $400,000 to lay new sod on the playing field in time for the Week 18 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
According to Broncos reporter Mike Klis, the ownership group brought in some high-quality Bermuda grass to go on the playing field.
Bermuda grass sod – as opposed to usual Rye/bluegrass blend – was trucked up from an Arizona turf farm, which also supplies the surfaces used at stadiums for the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. #9sports https://t.co/iSkNSCLBxw
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) January 7, 2023
Keep in mind that the Broncos have long been out of the playoff picture, so the new sod was brought in for one game, plus offseason events at the stadium. The team will install new sod before the 2023 NFL season as well.
Here is how the new surface looked:
New grass turf with red outlined 3 on the 30s. #9sports pic.twitter.com/ISBeFrT0Jt
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) January 8, 2023
In addition to spending on the new sod, the Broncos are beginning a $100 million renovation project at the stadium when the season ends. The owners spent $4.65 billion to purchase the team in 2022. They have continued to spend big money since then.
