Tag: Ashburn

Commanders’ financial needs still large, but Josh Harris up to task

Owner Josh Harris is fully committed to making Washington a first-class organization in every way possible.

Commanders owner Josh Harris continues to pour money and resources into the team’s stadium and Ashburn training facility.

During his press conference on Monday, Harris was asked about his future plans for the facility. Previous owner Daniel Snyder continued to lose money due to the team’s repeated losing during his ownership reign. As a result, Snyder was cutting corners in Ashburn and the players graded the facility very lowly.

“So, first of all, we’re going to do a lot of things in the offseason to make players lives better, to make coaches’ lives better, to make front office lives better,” Harris said. “And obviously, whether it’s the wet area, the weight room, our indoor facility, you’re going to see a lot of changes here, and you’re going to see a lot of changes in the stadium.”

Harris knew he had much to do to bring the Commanders’ Ashburn facility (located at 21300 Coach Gibbs Drive) more in tune with the level of what other NFL teams have at their home facility. He has come through by giving huge amounts of money to both the stadium and the Ashburn property, though he plans to leave both for better homes.

“We’re going to continue to build on the $75 million we had earmarked, so that’ll be north of 100,” he continued. “We got a whole bunch of plans to help the premium areas, to continue to build infrastructure and to continue to make the upper deck better. I mean, a lot of stuff. But here, really, we’re going to focus right now on the stadium itself, and I think the players like to be here, coaches like to be here. That’s not to say that we won’t revisit it over time, but we’re focused on fixing this place up right now. We’re certainly going to look at that. But right now, the big project is the stadium and so, right now we’re going to spend a lot of money trying to make this place better for the people that work, live and play here.”

This serves as another reminder that though Daniel Snyder’s last season as Washington’s owner was in 2023, it requires both time and money to catch up, repair, and correct mistakes and negligence.

Harris has shown himself to be up to the task.

Report: Josh Harris outbid Jeff Bezos for the Commanders

A new report indicates Bezos wanted the Commanders, but Josh Harris outbid him.

When the news broke in November 2022 that former Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder hired Bank of America to explore a sale of the team he owned since 1999, many believed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos would be the next owner.

However, some believed Snyder would never sell to Bezos, one of the wealthiest people in the world, because he owned The Washington Post. Snyder’s history with The Post was complicated as it broke several stories on his alleged misconduct that eventually led him to put the team up for sale.

Snyder sold the team to an ownership group led by Josh Harris, a Washington, D.C., area native who also owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils. The $6.05 billion sale was complicated by the number of minority investors in Harris’ group. It was the highest price ever paid for a U.S. pro sports franchise.

It was later revealed that Snyder didn’t prevent Bezos from bidding on the team. Most assumed Bezos just didn’t get involved in the bidding.

A new report from Martha Muir and Anna Nicolaou of the Financial Times indicates that not only did Bezos get involved, but he was actually outbid by Harris and his group.

Of all Bezos’s thwarted Washington initiatives, however, the one that may hit closest to home is his failed pursuit of the Commanders. A life-long NFL fan, Bezos had repeatedly signalled his wish to enter the elite club of football team owners.

Bezos went so far as to put an ownership group together with music mogul Jay-Z to acquire the Commanders, but was outbid by fellow billionaire Josh Harris, co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo.

At the time, some US media outlets reported that the team’s then owner, Dan Snyder, blocked Bezos’s bid because of his ownership of the Post — which almost single-handedly forced Snyder to sell, after it revealed the team allegedly tolerated pervasive sexual harassment and employee abuse.

Here’s the key part from the report:

People briefed on the process, however, insist Bezos was simply outbid by Harris, who acquired the team for $6bn. “I don’t think Snyder would have not sold to them if Jeff came in with a bid of $7 billion,” said a person involved in the process.

Bezos is worth over $200 billion, so his simply being outbid is strange. Perhaps he wasn’t going to allow Snyder to raise the price and force him to bid against himself for a damaged brand in which Bezos would need to spend millions more due to Snyder’s previous mismanagement.

The Harris Ownership Group has already paid $75 million toward improvements to the former FedEx Field and Washington’s team headquarters in Ashburn, Va., that Snyder ignored for years.

If Bezos wants in the NFL, there’s a good chance the Seattle Seahawks will be available in the next several years and that could be a more attractive opportunity for Bezos.

Harris and his group have proven to be the right owners for the Washington franchise at the right time.

Commanders owner Josh Harris on team’s facilities: ‘I’m not an F-minus guy’

Josh Harris talks about Washington’s poor grades from the NFLPA survey and the all of the work the team is doing.

When the NFLPA released its first report cards in 2023, the goal was to provide anonymous feedback from players on all 32 NFL teams. Some of the items graded in the report cards were team facilities, medical care, coaches and treatment of the players’ families.

The Washington Commanders didn’t grade well in the first or second year of the report cards. Whether it was outdated team headquarters in Ashburn, Va., the locker rooms or the training staff, the team scored poorly in many categories.

In some good news, Washington made a big jump in the ownership category this year, scoring a “B.”

Majority owner Josh Harris has pledged improvements of over $75 million to FedEx Field and the team’s facilities since taking over last July.

At the NFL owners meetings this week, Harris spoke with JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington about the report cards and was asked specifically about some of the Commanders’ grades. Harris offered a terrific answer.

“I’m not an F-minus guy,” Harris said, referring to some of the grades the team received. “I didn’t even know you could get an F-minus. Obviously, we’ve jumped all over that; first of all, that report is based on interviews that occurred right around the ownership change. It’s clearly something we’re focused on. In fact, (GM) Adam (Peters) and (head coach) Dan (Quinn) had to leave the NFL meetings briefly to go have a discussion with the architects. We’re trying to make a lot of changes there quickly. The NFL player community is a small community; the NFL coaching community is a small community. We want to be a place that everyone says, ‘That’s a great place to be.’ And therefore, we need to upgrade that facility, and we are upgrading that facility.”

Harris continued to discuss the topic, noting that there is only so much that can be done before training camp but the team is working on every aspect to make it a player-friendly environment.

Offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, who re-signed with the team last week, told the media about the changes underway at Commanders Park, even noting the team was getting new carpet in the locker room.

It’s a good time for the Commanders. There is excitement with a new owner, GM and coach. Washington will soon have a new franchise quarterback as it’s expected to select one second overall in next month’s draft.

Commanders announce training camp schedule

The Commanders will open 12 practices to the fans.

The Washington Commanders will begin training camp on July 27 in Ashburn, and 12 practices will be open for fans.

Here’s a look at the schedule:

  • July 27: 9 a.m. ET
  • July 28: 9 a.m. ET
  • July 29: 9 a.m. ET, NFL Back Together Saturday
  • Aug. 1: 9 a.m. ET
  • Aug. 2: 9 a.m. ET
  • Aug. 3: 9 a.m. ET
  • Aug. 8: 9 a.m. ET, Washington Salute Military Appreciation Day
  • Aug. 9: 9 a.m. ET, Kids Day
  • Aug. 13: 9 a.m. ET
  • Aug. 14: 9 a.m. ET
  • Aug. 18: 9 a.m. ET
  • Aug. 19: 9 a.m. ET

You can find tickets for any day of training camp here.

Here’s more from Washington’s official website:

Commanders Training Camp will have a new look this season with a 2,000-seat bleacher viewing area constructed on the practice fields to accommodate fans from across the region. Fans also are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs to set up adjacent to the practice fields as in years past.

Special events at Ashburn include the NFL’s annual “Back Together Saturday” training camp celebration on Saturday, July 29 for all 32 teams, the Commanders annual “Military Appreciation Day,” and “Kids Day.” On “Back Together Saturday” there will be a series of activations suitable for families, including a Commanders Kids Zone, Washington Legends meet and greets, a live DJ, and performances by Command Force and the Marching Band Drumline. Fans who attend “Back Together Saturday” will receive a Commanders Fan Pack that contains sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm, a fan, and an autograph booklet for signatures.

Washington Salute, the Official Military Appreciation Club of the Washington Commanders, will host a few hundred local military members for a practice experience with players and coaches and a special recognition for service to our nation on Tuesday, August 8. The Washington Commanders Charitable Foundation will host approximately 300 kids from DC, Maryland, and Virginia Public Schools as part of Kids Day, including complimentary lunch, a special giveaway, and activities provided by NFL Play60 and Commanders Read.

While at training camp, fans can purchase a variety of Commanders merchandise, including NFL-licensed apparel, official NFL Training Camp gear, mini footballs, helmets, and other fan favorite retail items.

The Commanders close out their offseason program Tuesday with a light workout and meetings in place of a previously scheduled OTA practice.

Wide Receiver Brandon Polk Shares Favorite JMU Memories, NFL Draft Preparation

2020 NFL Draft prospect Brandon Polk shares why he transferred from Penn State to James Madison University, what a day of NFL Draft preparation looks like, and the one thing he hopes NFL fans know about him.

2020 NFL Draft prospect Brandon Polk shares why he transferred from Penn State to James Madison University, what a day of NFL Draft preparation looks like, and the one thing he hopes NFL fans know about him.