The Washington Commanders sale will not be voted on at next week’s NFL owners meeting as the league is still reviewing the details of the $6 billion purchase
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NFL owners will not vote on selling the Washington Commanders at their meeting in Minneapolis next week.
Jeff Miller, the league’s vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, said the league is still reviewing the details of the $6.05 billion purchase by Josh Harris and partners Dan and Tanya Snyder.
Instead, NFL owners will be updated on the status of team sales.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into it, and the employees are doing it now,” Miller told reporters on a conference call.
Miller did not give a timetable for the vote, except that the process would be “speedy”.
Josh Harris, owner of the Sixers and Devils, is about to buy the Commanders for a record fee
Commanders owner Dan Snyder is selling the NFL team after allegations of misconduct and possible financial shortcomings
Last week, the Snyders finalized the deal with Harris, who owns the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, and his group, which includes former Lakers star Magic Johnson.
Once the transaction closes, it will reach the highest price ever paid for a North American sports franchise, surpassing the $4.55 billion paid by Walmart heir Robert Walton for the Denver Broncos last year.
Snyder has owned the Commanders since 1999, when he bought his childhood favorite team for $750 million and, despite mounting criticism, has repeatedly said he would never sell. That all changed after multiple league and congressional investigations into workplace misconduct and possible financial inadequacies in Washington. The Congressional investigation concluded that Snyder played a role in a toxic culture.
In addition to Magic, Harris’ partners include Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales and David Blitzer, among others. Together, Harris and Blitzer have owned the Sixers since 2011 and the Devils since 2013.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be a partner in the proposed new Washington Commanders ownership group,” Magic Johnson tweeted after the Snyders released an announcement regarding an agreement between them and Harris’ group.
“Josh Harris has assembled a great group whose goal is not only to do great things on the field, but to have a real impact in the community (in the Washington area).” I’m really looking forward to making it happen our vision to work for the Commanders and our loyal fan base.”
NBA superstar Magic Johnson, along with other partners, is part of Harris’ group that wants to buy Washington
Harris’ first task is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field – home to the Commanders since 1997
Harris grew up in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He said he’s witnessed the excitement of seeing the team win three Super Bowls and build a long-term culture of success.
“We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the coming months and to the honor of continuing to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise,” Harris said.
“We look forward to leading a world-class organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.”
The new owners’ first major task for the organization’s long-term future is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the team’s hurriedly completed home since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, which hasn’t aged much.
Virginia abandoned a stadium law last year due to numerous off-field controversies surrounding the team, although there are opportunities to build there, in Maryland or in the District of Columbia, on the site of the team’s former home stadium, RFK Stadium .