It’s looking more and more like Josh Harris will officially be the Washington Commanders’ controlling owner once the 2023 NFL season gets going.
As Sportsnaut covered last week, Harris’ group won the bidding for the downtrodden franchise from embattled outgoing owner Daniel Snyder for a record $6 billion.
Despite a report that another group had emerged as a bidder late in the process, Harris always seemed to be the favorite. That’s especially true considering Snyder’s contentious relationship with another big-name individual in the market, billionaire Jeff Bezos.
We now have more information on this courtesy of Sportico, who broke the original news last week. According to the business outlet, the sale of the Cammanders to Harris has been sent to the NFL for review.
The next step is for the league to either send the proposal back to the two parties or hand it over to NFL team owners for ultimate approval. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport confirmed Sportico’s report.
There shouldn’t be any issues for Josh Harris to get majority approval from league owners, a whole heck of a lot were looking to force the embattled Snyder from his post after scandals involving workplace misconduct and financial wrongoing on the part of the Washington Commanders.
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Josh Harris as the new Washington Commanders owner
There is every reason to believe that this deal will now be fast-tracked. The last thing the NFL and its owners want is more Daniel Snyder-related drama. It’s also obvious that certain parties did their vetting as it relates to Harris, who owns the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.
A fixture within the sports world, Harris is worth an estimated $7.77 billion. He grew up on the outside of D.C. Harris purchased the aforementioned 76ers for $280 million back in 2011. His group, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, then purchased the Devils for $320 million in 2023.
The inclusion of fellow billionaire Mitchell Rales in this pending Washington Commanders sale is big from a financial standpoint. The founder Glenstone and Danaher Corporation is said to be among the richest individuals within the nation’s capital with a net worth of $5.6 billion.
Meanwhile, NBA legend Magic Johnson brings his $600 million net worth to the group that will likely own these Commanders when all is said and done.
The NFL has to be doing cartwheels over this pending sale given the drama Snyder brought to the table over the past several years. Refreshing leadership with the Washington Commanders will soon be in the cards.