Washington Commanders president breaks silence on NFL record-breaking $6bn sale

31 March 2023 , 17:41

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Dan and Tanya Snyder have owned the Washington Commanders since 1999 (Image: AP)

Washington Commanders president Jason Wright has confirmed the sale of the franchise will likely go ahead amid a number of eye-watering bids for the iconic NFC East team.

On Tuesday, a pair of bids of around $6billion were reportedly made for the Commanders without any further information regarding which would be accepted by current owner Daniel Snyder. Discussions about a vote to remove the controversial Snyder have taken place among NFL owners, only for the group to wait to see how a potential sale would unfold.

FrontOfficeSports.com recently claimed the bid by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales’ group - which includes Los Angeles Lakers icon Magic Johnson - was the ‘only’ serious contender as the bid is backed by the money needed to survive the NFL’s vetting process. Their fully-financed bid matched Snyder’s asking price as Harris and co. have been laying the groundwork for an acquisition of the Commanders for some time.

Meanwhile, Charles Gasparino of Fox Business Network recently tweeted that neither of the offers are legitimate and come with contingencies that ultimately put the actual value at approximately $5bn. Gasparino also reported that Jeff Bezos remains interested.

When asked if the sale of the Commanders will actually happen, president Wright expressed faith in the process. He said: “I don’t see why it wouldn’t. I’m so confused by the skepticism.

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“It is a potential transaction until it’s a transaction, but yeah.”

Jeff Bezos has been linked with a bid for the Washington Commanders (Getty Images)

Snyder is reportedly no longer opposed to a bid from Amazon founder Bezos, who is expected to launch a bid of his own after the NFL annual meetings. Snyder was allegedly blocking Bezos from buying - and even bidding for - the Commanders as the 59-year-old owns the Washington Post, which published a number of articles exposing the alleged cases of sexual harassment in the NFL franchise.

Bezos - who has a net worth of $124bn - has been interested in buying the Commanders for some time, but any sale would still need to be approved by at least three-quarters of the league's other owners per NFL regulations. The Commanders last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy back in 1992 and are reportedly viewed by potential investors as a sleeping giant given their market.

Commanders fans will be desperate for Snyder to sell as the three-time Super Bowl champions have reached the playoffs just six times since 1999, and current head coach Ron Rivera is the 10th to take the helm since Snyder bought the franchise. The team went 8-8-1 in 2022, finishing bottom of the alarmingly competitive NFC East.

Andrew Gamble