The Miami Dolphins have been one of the best teams in the NFL over the last two seasons.
In 2022, head coach Mike McDaniel, in his first year, took the team to the playoffs, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in the five years prior. And, he did so without his starting quarterback for a good chunk of the season.
Now, in 2023, they’ve started 7-3 through the first 11 weeks, and they have a 1.5-game lead in their division.
The Dolphins have been a hit, and on top of that, owner Stephen Ross has done a lot of work to bring attention to Hard Rock Stadium and the surrounding area with the Miami Grand Prix Formula 1 track right outside.
With all of this built up success and attraction, it’s no surprise that there’s someone interested in purchasing a piece of the pie.
According to FOX Sports’ Andy Slater, Ross is in talks to sell a minority stake in the team, Hard Rock Stadium and F1 Miami to hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin.
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson confirmed, through a source, that there are talks ongoing and are in the preliminary stages.
Griffin, 55, a born-and-raised Floridian, who’s currently in the process of building “the most expensive home on Earth” in Palm Beach, is the founder, chief executive officer and majority owner of Citadel LLC, a large hedge fund.
According to Forbes, he’s the 40th-richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $35.2 billion.
As of 2021, according to the Palm Beach Post, Ross owned 95% of the team with a number of minority owners with recognizable names, including Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Marc Anthony, Fergie, Venus Williams and Serena Williams.
If the Dolphins can get some more capital brought in to make sure they can continue spending on the roster and the stadium/fan experience, a sale to a wealthy minority owner should be great news.
Obviously, such a sale is far from cemented, but it’s something that could come together over time.