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Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who relinquished control of the team earlier this decade while battling Alzheimer’s disease, reportedly is in failing health.

Woody Paige of the Colorado Springs Gazette reports that Bowlen’s physical condition is declining dramatically.

Bowlen, who bought the team in 1984, placed the team into trust upon stepping down. The trustees eventually will decide whether any of Bowlen’s seven children are suited to take over the team.

The two-time Super Bowl champion and key figure in the NFL’s ongoing growth (especially in broadcasting), Bowlen is under consideration for one of the two finalists spots that will be given to contributors for 2019. (In even years, contributors get only one slot.) When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones secured a spot in the Hall of Fame last year, many believed the honor should have gone to Bowlen.

UPDATE 3:59 p.m. ET: Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth disputes the perception that Mr. Bowlen is in dramatically failing health. “Mr. Bowlen is resting very comfortably at home as he receives care for Alzheimer’s disease,” Smyth said in a statement to PFT. “Joe Ellis visited with him just this past week. He’s doing fine.”