Likely new Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris met with the NFL’s finance committee on Wednesday as the process of transferring ownership from Daniel Snyder continued.
There had been some issues raised by members of the said committee earlier in the process, primarily looking at the unusually large number of minority owners who would be involved in the transaction.
That seems to have cleared up some as all parties look to get this transaction finalized by the end of the summer.
According to a member of the finance committee, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, things are going pretty well.
“It’s going well. I’m hopeful because of their inspired aspect and their enthusiasm and their track record that they’re really committing, saying, ‘Well if that doesn’t work then I’ll make it right. Either way, we’re going to make it right.’ So, we’re just trying to work through those final details. And I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to. I would imagine something in mid to late July would be the earliest we’d call it league meeting.”
Jim Irsay after meeting with pending Washington Commanders owners
One of Harris’ partners, billionaire Mitchell Rales, also took part in the meeting on Wednesday in New York City. This is the clearest indication yet that things are getting serious before the sale goes to NFL team owners for final approval.
Harris and embattled Commanders owner Daniel Snyder entered in a non-binding agreement to transfer ownership of the NFL franchise for just over $6 billion back in April. A short while later, the agreement was submitted to the NFL, who didn’t find any initial issues with the details. However, the finance committee pushed back some last month.
“Members of the NFL’s finance committee raised concerns Wednesday about Josh Harris’s tentative $6.05 billion deal to purchase the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder, slowing momentum for the potential sale and dimming the prospects of a possible ratification vote of the league’s team owners later this month,” report from The Washington Post’s Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala.
Related: Everything you need to know about the new Washington Commanders owners
Given the progress we’ve seen since, this doesn’t seem to be much of an issue right now. According to reports, Harris made it clear to the committee that he’ll make the adjustments needed before this is sent to other owners for league approval.
The Washington Post went on to report that barring any unforeseen setbacks, “the sale is advancing toward expected ratification by the league’s team owners as soon as next month.”
This is certainly a timeline that would benefit both the Washington Commanders and the NFL. No one wants to see this situation draw on through the start of the regular season in mid-September. Internally, league owners would prefer Snyder to be out as soon as possible given the scandals that have surrounded him in recent years.
As for Josh Harris, he’s currently the owner of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. This has likely helped expedite the process behind the scenes.
A total of 24 of the league’s 32 team owners are needed to approve the sale. That isn’t likely to be an issue.