NFL
By: Drew Willingham
An insider within tells The Associated Press that NFL owners are set to meet on July 20 to potentially vote for approval on the sale of the Washington Commanders.
The insider stated that teams were notified last week of an important meeting that will take place in Minnesota. The individual spoke to The Associated Press recently on the grounds of anonymity since the scheduled league meeting has not been made public.
Seventy-Five Percent — 24 of the league’s 32 owners — approval is needed to finalize the pending deal between Dan Snyder, his family, and a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris. NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is also among those involved in the incoming ownership group.
The pending deal is for a North American professional sports record $6.05 billion, surpassing the $4.55 billion that Walmart heir Robert Walton shelled out for the Denver Broncos in 2022.
Snyder and Harris’ group had a deal in place for a sale back in April, followed by a firm agreement in May. Up next is approval by the NFL’s finance committee before going to the full ownership group for consideration.
If all goes well on July 20th, it would set the trajectory for new ownership to take over just as we begin the start of the 2023 regular season.
Snyder has owned this franchise since 1999, when he bought it for $750 million, and regardless of the ongoing criticism repeatedly stated that he’d never sell his childhood’s favorite team. However, after multiple investigations by the NFL and Congress into the status of Washington’s workplace misconduct and potential financial discrepancies. The investigations concluded that Snyder played a role within a toxic culture.
“Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the (Washington-area) community,” Johnson tweeted in May. “I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase.”
Harris was raised in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He has stated that he got to experience the euphoria of the Washington team winning three Super Bowls and building a long-term standard of success.
One of the new owners’ first major tasks for a long-term future for the franchise is a new home to replace FedEx Field, the hogwash-modular-built home for the team since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, that has deteriorated rapidly over recent years. Virginia abandoned a stadium bill in 2022 as a result of a number of off-field controversies surrounding the team, despite that relocation is still a possibility, as well as Maryland or even in DC at the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium.
