Another contender for the purchase of Washington Commanders entered the business.
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has reportedly filed a bid to buy the NFL team. according to the Washington Post, but also not considered a leader. Fertitta reportedly offered around $5.5 billion to commanders and visited the team’s training facility in Ashburn, Virginia. This number is much lower reportedly $7 billion current owner Dan Snyder wants for his franchise.
Fertitta, 65, is the second known contender for the Commanders along with fellow NBA owner Josh Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers as well as the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. According to multiple reports, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is the third richest person in the world, is interested but is barred from betting. Bezos has reportedly still hired an investment firm to look into a possible offer.
Fertitta bought the Rockets in 2017 for $2.2 billion and is worth an estimated $8.1 billion. according to Forbes. He is the owner and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment Inc., which also owns Landry’s, a Texas restaurant and hotel company, and the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino.
If Fertitta or Harris win the bid, it would become the fourth owner to control the team in both the NBA and NFL. Others are the Kroenke family, whose company owns the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Rams (as well as the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and Arsenal), Gail Benson, who owns the New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints, and Jody Allen. , which owns the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks.
Snyder and his wife Tanya announced their intention to explore possible deals within the team when they hired Bank of America in November. In 1999, Snyder bought the team for $800 million.
No sales are expected until the NFL owners’ meeting in March. Two other NFL teams have been sold in the past five years: the Walton-Penner group, the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion in 2022, and David Tepper bought Carolina Panthers in 2018.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
