Dan is playing games again
Another day, another conflicting report on the Washington Commanders sale. The New York Post first reported that Dan Snyder blocked Amazon founder Jeff Bezos from bidding for the Washington Commanders. The Athletic followed with their own source history. Bezos owns The Washington Post, one of the leading outlets investigating Snyder and the toxic workplace he ran for over two decades.
That story is being debunked by Front Office Sports’ AJ Perez in a new story this morning. According to Perez’s sources, Bezos is still in the running to buy the team. Snyder’s posting of the Bezos block story was likely an attempt to inflate the price by not getting the high bids expected.
NFL owners are increasingly concerned about the pace of the Washington Commanders sale, fueled by reports that owner Dan Snyder will not allow Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to bid on the franchise.
However, Bezos remains in the mix for the Commanders, two sources with knowledge of the situation told Front Office Sports. One of those sources said that the news that Snyder wouldn’t sell to Bezos was a ploy to get a high bid from the Amazon founder.
Snyder originally wanted $7 billion for the franchise, but $6.3 billion was reportedly the highest bid received in the first round. The billionaire behind this offer has not been identified. Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris is believed to be the frontrunner in buying the team, but his bid amount is still unknown. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is another high-profile bidder, and his bid reportedly totaled more than $5.5 billion. Both billionaires have long toured the team’s facilities with at least one other potential bidder.
The pace of the sale and the tactics Dan Snyder is using to try to inflate the value of his franchise have reportedly worried several other NFL owners. They want Snyder out, and a quiet exit with Dan taking his $6 billion and sales to England is obviously preferable.
The NFL’s second investigation into Snyder and the team is being led by Mary Jo White and has been ongoing for over a year. It is speculated that the investigation, along with criticism from other owners, has been put on hold because Snyder has volunteered to explore all options for a sale. The NFL would prefer not to have to set a precedent by having at least 24 other owners vote him out, but that’s their last resort if Snyder backs out of a sale and the fan base dwindles even further.
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