NFL fury! Lewis Hamilton angers fans after Denver Broncos match

Lewis Hamilton may have the winning touch in F1, but when it comes to the NFL he is more likely to get sacked.

That was an NFL joke, I didn't mean.... anyway, the British F1 legend was back in the USA for a Denver Broncos game at the weekend.

Hamilton is part of the ownership group of the NFL team, and was attending his first ever game in Denver yesterday, having not attended a game on his team's home soil, but saw the team go down 34-20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The seven-time world champion was videoed being given a tour by key Broncos figures, while he took to Instagram to take a picture of the stunning Empower Field at Mile High, as well as offering a message of support for the team who are top of the AFC West.

"Tough day today but l'm so proud of this team," he wrote on his Instagram story. "Even on a hard day like today I'm inspired by how you all support one another and continue to show up. Remember it's not how we fall, it's we get back up! Onto the next one."

While this coincidence cannot be put on Hamilton alone, some Broncos fans on X clearly seemed to think he was a jinx, with one user writing: "Everytime he’s at a game we lose, all love Lewis but please stop coming to games."

Another user said: "Jinx, was hopefully the last game he attends," while another simply said: "Don’t come back."

Some fans were happy to see the seven-time F1 champion in Denver, however, with one user commenting on Instagram: "So cool and such a class act! @lewishamilton glad to see you at Mile High!"

What is Hamilton's Denver Broncos role?

In 2022, Hamilton joined the Walton-Penner family ownership group, who bought the NFL franchise for $4.65bn earlier in the year.

Hamilton doesn’t own the Broncos by himself, not even the greatest driver of all time has earned that much money yet. The Walton-Penner family group who own the team has some other notable names too.

The other two minority owners alongside Hamilton are Mellody Hobson and former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Hobson is the co-CEO of Ariel Investments and sits on the boards of a number of companies (including Starbucks), and is married to Star Wars creator George Lucas.

Rice is best known for her political career, serving as Secretary of State during George W Bush’s second term as President, but has a history in football too. She served on the inaugural College Football Playoff committee, and was even later linked with the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching job by NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Hamilton is currently in his fourth season as a minority owner of the Broncos, and it's looking likely that he will get to oversee a play-off campaign this year.

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