Tag: Dan Snyder

Snyders announce agreement to sell Commanders to Josh Harris-led group

Dan Snyder has agreed to sell the Washington Commanders to a group headed by Josh Harris

And, with a simple statement on a Friday, the scandal-scarred run of ownership by Dan Snyder of the Washington Commanders will be coming to an end, pending NFL owners’ approval.

The price is $6.05 billion from a Josh Harris-led group and has to be a relief to NFL brass and fellow owners as the Washington franchise has been hit with ugly blow and allegations after ugly blow and allegations for years under Snyder.

The purchase and sale agreement agreed to by Harris’ group likely won’t be approved until the league meetings scheduled for May 22-24 in Minneapolis.

Former Washington coach Joe Gibbs weighed in on the new owner.

Report: Commanders to host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1

Washington hosts Arizona in Week 1.

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The Washington Commanders will begin the 2023 season at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Kevin Sheehan of The Team 980 had the story first.

Hosting the Cardinals to kick off a new era — Washington’s first game without Daniel Snyder as the owner — made sense for the Commanders. Washington has had trouble filling FedEx Field with its own fans in recent years, so there is hope that Commanders’ fans will pack FedEx Field for Week 1. The team hopes a new owner combined with a new season will be enough to get fans excited.

Scheduling an NFC East foe at home for Week 1 never made sense. Dallas, New York and Philadelphia fans have often packed FedEx Field, and the Commanders wanted to host a full stadium in front of their own fans. The Cardinals don’t have the same type of national following as the division rivals or other teams on the home schedule, such as the Buffalo Bills or Chicago Bears.

Many predict that the Cardinals could be the worst team in the NFL in 2023.

Commanders president Jason Wright one day wants to run the football and business side of an NFL team

If Wright ran the football side, would he have made an attempt to trade for Lamar Jackson?

Mike Jones of The Athletic recently profiled Washington Commanders team president Jason Wright. It was an interesting look at Washington’s president of three years, who has had one of the most challenging jobs in sports:

Not only has Wright had to navigate multiple controversies, but he also accepted the role of Washington president just as the team had announced a name change.

Wright has drawn the ire of many of the team’s disgruntled fans for things that were out of his control. But other things were under his control, such as the team’s repeated failures to properly honor team legend, the late Sean Taylor. Don’t forget some of the errors when the team announced it was adding 10 more players to the “90 Greatest” list to celebrate 90 years as an NFL franchise.

Jones’s story covers it all. And while fans may view Wright as an outsider, he has the same goal as many of the team’s longtime fans. He wants to turn Washington back into a winner, bring the fans back, find a new stadium and use football — specifically Washington Commanders football — as a way to unite the community.

While Wright has made mistakes, he’s owned them. He’s also done good things, too.

But the most interesting nugget from The Athletic’s profile on Wright was this passage:

Meanwhile, although Wright aspires to one day run both the business and football sides of an organization, he says his goals in Washington don’t include that. He aims to simply support coach Ron Rivera, general manager Martin Mayhew and their assistants.

It’s not a surprise that Wright would want complete control of a team. After all, most team presidents are over the entire time, not just the business side. Remember, Wright played seven years in the NFL.

While Wright said his goals in Washington don’t include running the football side, Jones was recently a guest on the “Standig Room Only” podcast with Ben Standig, and he discussed Wright’s potential goals.

“He claims that his interest is not to do that in Washington, that there is too much on his plate right now,” Jones said. “But somewhere down the road in an organization. Now, talking to people around the league, there is definitely aspirations for him; they gather he wants to take over the football operations here as well. But, you know Jason will say one thing behind the scenes, though; we’ll see. I do think that you’re a long way from being able to oversee just because of how much of a mess to clean up still on the other side of the field.”

Jones talked about head coach Ron Rivera’s working relationship with Wright and Wright praised Rivera for always helping him. However, interestingly, Rivera declined to speak to Jones for this specific story on Wright.

Why? It could be nothing bad, but Jones told Standig he was surprised and noted the upcoming ownership change may have some not wanting to go on the record.

Washington fans would be interested to know something else Jones said on Standig’s podcast.

“From what I’ve gathered, he probably would have been in favor of pursuing Lamar Jackson if it was his call,” Jones said.

Considering Wright runs the business side, that shouldn’t be surprising. A trade for Jackson would’ve given a jolt to the business and football side of the building. But, it was never happening. 

 

Local author has a new name suggestion for the Washington Commanders

The goal of changing the name is to make it better. Not so sure this suggestion does that.

The sale of the Washington Commanders is expected to be completed soon. While the sale is unique and could be approved in stages, per a report from The Washington Post last week, the Commanders will have a new owner, and all signs point to a group led by Josh Harris.

Since Washington initially changed its name in July 2020, there has been much debate about the new name. The franchise played the “Football Team” moniker for two seasons while researching possibilities for a permanent name.

The team settled on the “Commanders” in February 2022, and to say it hasn’t been received well by the fan base is an understatement.

Most fans hate the name. Some don’t care, one way or the other, while another segment just wants a winning team. It hasn’t helped that the franchise has continued to struggle on the field and deal with controversy after controversy off the field. However, with new ownership coming, there’s hope for the future.

One thing many can agree on is potentially changing the name — again.

On Friday, author and sportswriter John Feinstein joined “The Sports Junkies” for his weekly segment on 106.7 The Fan and weighed in on the current name.

“They took two years to come up with Commanders, and I think we all reacted the same way, kind of like, ‘Huh?’” Feinstein said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy.com.

“Wizards is no better, but at least Abe Pollin voluntarily said he didn’t want Bullets to be the name; Dan Snyder was dragged kicking and screaming to change the name, and I remember that when they announced the Commanders name, you would’ve thought they discovered the cure for cancer – it’s not original in any way, and has nothing to do with Washington.”

Some good points.

Then, Feinstein had a suggestion.

“My suggestion was Monuments,” he said. “There’s nothing that’s more a symbol of Washington, other than maybe the White House, than the Washington Monument. It’s totally apolitical, everyone knows what it is, and it would make for cool-looking uniforms. So why not? I know the new owners will have a million important things to do when they take over because the franchise is a dumpster fire, but it’s not that hard for them to deal with this right away.”

Feinstein has loved poking fun at the franchise for years, much of it deserved. However, isn’t the goal of changing the name to make it better than the previous version?

The name “Monuments” doesn’t do that. And, no, that’s not defending the current name.

But Feinstein did have a good point in changing the name — to something.

“There’s no reason to keep Commanders; one of the reasons to not lose the old name was all the tradition surrounding it, but there’s none of that on Commanders,” Feinstein said. “So, just get it gone; come up with a name that relates in some way to Washington D.C., and do it.”

That’s something most fans can agree on. Arriving at that consensus is the hard part.

 

Former Google CEO is a part of Josh Harris’ bid for the Commanders

Another big name is revealed as part of Josh Harris’ group.

Another day, another name linked to Josh Harris’ bid to buy the Washington Commanders.

On Thursday, Sportico revealed two more names from the Harris group: Colombian billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo and Morgan Properties CEO Mitchell Morgan.

On Friday, Giles Turner and Heather Perlberg of Bloomberg revealed that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is also a part of Harris’ bid to buy the Commanders. Schmidt’s net worth is $21.7 billion, according to Forbes, making him the wealthiest known member of the Harris group. Santo Domingo’s net worth is over $12 billion, while Harris is worth $7.7 billion and Mitchell Rales‘ net worth is $6.7 billion.

Schmidt was Google’s CEO from 2001-11, and he stepped down in 2011 but remains as one of the company’s largest individual stakeholders.

In another development from Thursday, the Commanders are reportedly lobbying the federal government to give control of the federal-owned RFK Stadium site to the D.C. government, clearing a path for the Commanders to build a new stadium in the District.

Interestingly enough, Schmidt has worked in an advisory role for the Defense Department.

Forbes initially reported last month that Harris had 17 minority investors. Thus far, Rales, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Mark Ein, Santo Domingo, Morgan and Schmidt have been revealed as minority partners.

We’ll continue to follow this story.

 

Report: Commanders lobbying federal government to hand control of RFK site to D.C. government

The Commanders under new ownership will have options for a new stadium. But it’s clear the RFK Stadium site is No. 1.

The Washington Commanders will have a new owner soon. After 24 years, Daniel Snyder is expected to sell the NFL franchise to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris.

The deal is not complete but has been sent to the NFL and is expected to be approved at some point in the near future.

With that in mind, the Commanders are clearly focused on finding a new home stadium, and the No. 1 contender remains the old RFK Stadium site in Washington, D.C.

Per Sam Fortier, Michael Brice-Saddler and Meagan Flynn of The Washington Post, the Commanders are lobbying the federal government to give the D.C. government control over the RFK Stadium site, paving the way for the city to reach a deal with the NFL franchise to bring them back to the nation’s capital.

In recent months, a group representing the Commanders — led by Dentons lobbyist Matthew Cutts and Commanders Vice President of Public Affairs Joe Maloney — has met with staff for the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, according to a spokesperson for the House committee and a spokesperson for Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who chairs the Senate committee.

If the sale goes through to Harris, it could prompt a bidding war between D.C., Maryland and Virginia for a potential new home for the Commanders. However, for D.C. to be the choice, it would need control over the land, which the federal government owns and leases to Events DC — the District’s sports and entertainment authority.

As the Post noted, the natural resources committee has jurisdiction over land transfers, which would be critical in Washington’s efforts to gain control of the land. The current lease runs through 2038 and restricts the land’s usage to sports, entertainment and recreation, which would prevent the Commanders from creating the development they’ve envisioned for Maryland and Virginia.

The Commanders would like to resemble The Battery in Atlanta. Not only did the Braves build a new ballpark [Truist Park], but The Battery operates like a mini-city outside of the baseball stadium and is viewed as the future of professional sports stadiums. The Battery features dining, shopping, entertainment and lodging.

D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has lobbied publicly for the Commanders to return to the city, noting that obstacles remain, which mostly consist of the federal government owning the land.

The Commanders returning to D.C. was not an option if Snyder owned the team. Now with a sale expected, the path is much clearer for the NFL franchise to return home if other issues are resolved.

 

Report: Colombian billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo joins Josh Harris’ bid to buy Commanders

Two more names are a part of Josh Harris’ group to buy the Commanders.

Two more names have emerged as minority partners for Josh Harris in his bid to buy the Washington Commanders. According to Sportico’s Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams, Colombian billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo and his family, investors from Colombia, are part of Harris’ $6.05 billion bid to buy the franchise.

Santo Domingo and his family are among the wealthiest people in South America. According to Bloomberg, the Santo Domingo family has a net worth of $12.1 billion.

Sportico notes that Santo Domingo’s portfolio includes stakes in beer maker Anheuser-Busch InBev, Chilean bank Corpbanca and Spanish bank Inmobiliaria Colonial, among other ventures. Santo Domingo is also the managing director of Quadrant Capital Advisors.

In addition to Santo Domingo, Sportico also learned that Mitchell Morgan, CEO of Morgan Properties, is also a part of the Harris bid. Morgan founded Morgan Properties in 1985, the third largest multifamily housing owner in the country and owning over $16 billion in assets.

How much Santo Domingo and Morgan have contributed to Harris’ bid is unclear. In a Forbes report from last month, Mike Ozanian stated that Harris would own 30% of the Commanders, Mitchell Rales 12% and Earvin “Magic” Johnson 4%, and, in total, there would be 17 limited partners.

Harris and Washington owner Daniel Snyder reached a nonexclusive agreement in principle for the Commanders and the deal is pending approval from the NFL. A vote could take place later this month at the NFL owners meetings.

Jason Wright: Commanders sold season’s worth of annual suites in 1 week after sale announcement

There’s anticipation that Washington can have a “resurgence” within its fan base with Snyder selling the franchise.

There are reasons for fans to be excited about the Washington NFL franchise again. Sure, some may not like the name, but with owner Daniel Snyder soon departing, fans are clearly enthusiastic about what’s ahead.

In an appearance on “Last Call” on CNBC this week, team president Jason Wright gave some interesting information that backs up renewed interest in the franchise.

According to Wright, when it was announced that Snyder had hired Bank of America and was exploring potential transactions, fans began buying annual suites in record numbers.

“We are gonna be able to absorb a resurgence of this fan base,” Wright said. “This is a historic franchise with a 90-year history with people that love this team. We’ve already seen some of that business momentum come back. When the sale was just announced, the process was announced last November; we sold what we would normally sell in a full season in annual suites, we made that in a week. After we announced the sale.”

Host Brian Sullivan then asked Wright: “You made, in a week, what you would normally make in an annual season on pre-sales for the big-money suites. So, literally, big-money fans are coming out of the woodwork anticipating a sale?”

“Yeah, there’s anticipating of this franchise returning to what it once was, and people are willing to jump back into business with us, whether that’s sponsors, suite holders and others,” Wright said. “We’ve now built an organization that can absorb that momentum.”

It will be interesting to see if FedEx Field is full of Commanders’ fans in 2023.

One Washington D.C. councilman wants the NFL team ‘back home’

But there is opposition.

For the first time in a while, there are good vibes surrounding the Washington Commanders. Owner Daniel Snyder has agreed in principle to sell the franchise to a group led by Josh Harris, which also includes Mitchell Rales and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Snyder has owned the team since 1999, presiding over controversy and controversy, and a lot of bad football.

When Snyder hired Bruce Allen in December 2009, the pair were supposed to land a new stadium eventually. However, it never happened. Washington, D.C. didn’t want the team back, Maryland was fine with the Commanders remaining at FedEx Field and Virginia shut down the team’s hopes for a new stadium.

With Snyder selling the franchise, everything is back on the table, particularly in Washington, where the franchise played its home games at the legendary RFK Stadium for over 30 years.

On Tuesday, D.C. native and Ward 5 councilman Kenyon McDuffie said he wants the team “back home.”

“I think we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity with the RFK site to re-imagine it,” he said, per WUSA 9 in Washington.

McDuffie believes a stadium could revitalize the area by adding housing, retail and concert venues.

“I don’t think it needs to be just a football stadium there,” McDuffie said. “I think it should be a broader conversation.”

However, some of McDuffie’s fellow council members didn’t share his enthusiasm.

“I’m not going to get cross-ways with a colleague,” said Chairman Phil Mendelson. “But I will say this – the RFK site is bounded on one side by the Anacostia River, on other sides by park land, and on the fourth side by residential. It is not the opportune site for economic development.”

The RFK Stadium site is owned by the federal government and was only leased to D.C. for use as a stadium. 

While things don’t appear imminent, the outlook is much more positive than it was one year ago for the NFL franchise to return to Washington.

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It sounds like the Commanders could have a new owner in place by June 1

A timeline is in place for the Commanders to have a new owner.

Could we finally be nearing an end to Daniel Snyder’s ownership of the Washington Commanders?

In a column from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, more details were revealed about the agreement between prospective new owner Josh Harris and Snyder. It’s important to stress that the agreement, in principle, is non-exclusive, so Snyder could change his mind if he receives a higher bid.

However, it appears the NFL is intent on finalizing this deal at the NFL’s spring meeting in Minneapolis, which begins on May 22.

What happens between now and then?

From Breer:

First, the league must complete its examination and background work on the group, a process that will be fast-tracked since the league vetted Harris last year, when he was bidding on the Broncos. Part of that will be doing checks on Harris’s partner, Mitchell Rales—the founder of Danaher, a corporation with an enterprise value of close to a quarter trillion dollars. Rales is widely respected and expected to be approved through the process along with Magic Johnson. They are committed to buying smaller pieces of the team.

While that’s going on, the NFL’s finance committee is scheduled to meet in New York on May 10 as part of a set of committee meetings that week on Park Avenue. That meeting had been on the books before Snyder reached an agreement with Harris, but the expectation is that’s where Harris and his group will give the committee an in-depth presentation on the structure of the deal and show they have the financial resources needed.

There will be no concerns with Rales or Johnson. Breer notes that Rales has the financial wherewithal to lead a group himself but preferred to remain in the background. 

Part of the meeting with Harris’ group and the NFL’s finance committee will be about Washington’s plan to build a new stadium. 

The most important takeaway from Breer’s intel on Washington’s ownership situation. 

Which means by June 1, a new era should be underway in D.C.

It’s getting closer.

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