On Thursday, it was revealed that Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos had hired an investment firm to look into a potential purchase of the Washington Commanders.
The investment firm, Allen & Company, had been retained in the last two NFL team sales [Carolina Panthers & Denver Broncos]. While that doesn’t guarantee Bezos will bid, it’s his strongest sign of interest in the storied NFL franchise yet.
Washington owner Dan Snyder’s reported asking price for the Commanders was $7 billion, but the early bidding topped out at $6.3 billion. Bezos was not involved in the first round of bidding.
A new report from Charles Gasparino of FOX Business indicates that Snyder told some around the NFL he will not sell the Commanders for anything less than $6 billion.
Here’s how Gasparino’s latest report links to Bezos:
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder is alerting NFL officials that his asking price for the team is $6 billion, a move that will significantly limit the number of bidders and puts billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in the pole position to buy the team.
Other bidders have long feared the process would be over once Bezos got involved. However, reaching $6 million shouldn’t be a problem for Snyder since the early round of bidding did top out at the reported $6.3 billion. One of the issues is the buyer must hold 30% in equity as a part of the sale. That’s not a problem for Bezos.