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Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was added to the new Denver Broncos ownership group, the team announced Monday.
Background: Rice has a deep connection to Denver. She moved to Denver when she was 12 and got her undergraduate degree and Ph.D. from the University of Denver, per AP.
- Rice has also leadership experience in sport. She served on the first College Football Playoff selection committee and was the chair on a commission on college basketball, per AP.
- Rice is also the daughter of a football coach, per the announcement.
Of note: Rice joins the Walton-Penner ownership group, headed by Rob Walton. Walton was the chairman of Walmart from 1992-2015 and has a net worth of $60 billion, per AP.
- The ownership group includes Walton's daughter Carrie Walton Penner and her husband Greg Penner. The group had agreed to buy the Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust in June for a reported $4.65 billion.
What they're saying: "Her unique experience and extraordinary judgment will be a great benefit to our group and the Broncos organization," Walton said in a statement.
- "Football has been an integral part of my life since the moment it was introduced to me, and I am thrilled to be a part of the Broncos organization today," Rice said Monday in a statement to Axios.
- "I spent much of my younger years in Denver, so to be able to combine my love of the game with my love for this great city and team is an adventure of a lifetime and a great opportunity," Rice added.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Condoleezza Rice