Tag: nfl owners

Magic Johnson: ‘We want to be the best organization’

Magic wants the the Commanders to be the best organization in the NFL — and in all of sports.

Magic Johnson knows what a successful and well-run professional sports franchise should look like. During his playing career, Johnson played for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won five NBA championships.

Johnson has also thrived in the business world, opening up numerous new businesses throughout the country. He’s also had success as a professional sports owner.

Johnson joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a part owner in 2012. The Dodgers have been MLB’s best team for most of the last decade. He became part owner of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks in 2014. The Sparks won a WNBA title. Johnson is also part owner of the Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer. LAFC won the MLS Cup in 2022.

So when Josh Harris asked Johnson if he wanted to be a part of his ownership team with the Commanders, Johnson asked Harris if he wanted to win. When Harris replied in the affirmative, Johnson quickly signed up. As he told Harris, “he invests to win — not for ego.”

Welcome to Washington, Magic.

After Harris and his ownership group were approved by NFL owners Thursday, they were in town Friday and met with employees. Washington’s social media team showed part of his speech, and one specific portion stood out.

“We want to be the best organization in the National Football League,” Johnson said. “And then we’re going to take it a step further — in sports.”

Washington’s new ownership team has succeeded in business all around the world. Harris, Johnson, David Blitzer and Mark Ein have enjoyed success owning sports teams, too. This ownership group is full of brilliant and motivated businessmen looking to make the Commanders their most successful endeavor yet.

I wouldn’t bet against them.

It’s over: NFL approves Josh Harris as new Commanders owner

The Dan Snyder era is officially over.

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After 24 years and 57 days, Daniel M. Snyder is no longer the owner of the Washington Commanders.

On Thursday, the NFL owners held a special meeting in Minneapolis, voting to approve a group led by Josh Harris as Washington’s new owner. Harris agreed to a deal with Snyder in May to purchase the Commanders for $6.05 billion.

Just ahead of 5 p.m. ET Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN made it official.

“A monumental Washington day: NFL owners now have unanimously approved the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris, per league source,” tweeted Schefter.

Here’s Schefter’s full thread of tweets.

We’ll follow this story for fan reactions, player reactions and reactions from around the sports world.

 

Mary Jo White present in Minneapolis for NFL owners meetings

Is White updating NFL owners on her investigation into Snyder and the Commanders?

The NFL’s Mary Jo White-led investigation opened in Feb. 2022, after the league hired her to investigate former Washington employee Tiffani Johnston’s harassment allegation against Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.

As of July 20, White’s investigation into Snyder, the Commanders hasn’t been made public. Is the investigation over? Is the NFL waiting for the sale of the Commanders from Snyder to Josh Harris?

As the NFL owners converged in Minneapolis Thursday to vote on the sale of the franchise, there is an update on White — sort of.

According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, White entered the room with NFL owners to presumably update them on her investigation into Snyder and the Commanders.

Owners are expected to approve the sale of the Commanders Thursday. Therefore, there should be actual news on White’s investigation at some point soon, right?

Longtime Washington writer Rick Snider weighed in on what’s likely happening.

It will all be over soon.

Jerry Jones on Commanders sale: ‘I think it’s going to be a great day for the NFL’

Jerry weighs in on the sale. Looks forward to handing the Commanders some “capital punishment.”

If you’ve followed social media at all Thursday, you’ve likely seen multiple NFL owners on escalators. Of course, NFL owners are in Minneapolis for a big meeting. On Thursday, owners are expected to vote on the sale of Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris for $6.05 billion.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was one of those owners spotted in Minneapolis, and he was asked if Thursday would be a big day for fans of the Commanders.

Snyder’s longtime confidante responded.

“I think it’s going to be a great day for the NFL,” Jones said. ” Excited, and I think it’s a hallmark day. Excited about the prospects of going into Washington and giving ’em some capital punishment.”

Jones was once Snyder’s biggest ally in ownership circles, but it was apparent over the last year that Jones’ support of Snyder had waned.

Report: NFL finance committee endorses Josh Harris as the new owner of the Commanders

There’s nothing else preventing the sale now.

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We are only days away from NFL owners meeting and voting on the sale of the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris for $6.05 billion.

On Monday, a significant step in the Commanders sale occurred when the NFL finance committee met virtually and informally voted to recommend approval of Harris’ $6.05 billion-dollar bid to purchase the franchise, according to Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Why is this significant? Due to the large number of Harris’ minority partners, there were more complexities in this purchase than in previous team sales. The money was never an issue for the Harris group, but the NFL finance committee noted some tweaks would need to be made.

Harris and one of his partners, Mitchell Rales, traveled to New York to meet with the finance committee last month, likely overcoming any remaining hurdles before the committee recommended approval.

Additionally, the NFL and Snyder’s legal team reached an agreement that resolves any remaining issues that could have potentially threatened to complicate the sale.

Something else of interest in the Post’s report was that Snyder recently met with Mary Jo White as her investigation nears completion. The report could be released soon, with Harris expected to take over by Friday.

We are merely days away from Washington having a new owner.

Report: Legal issues ‘threaten to complicate’ Commanders sale

No one thought this would be easy.

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The worst possible scenario for Washington Commanders fans is Daniel Snyder remaining the owner of the team. While that appears highly unlikely, a new report from The Washington Post early Thursday morning says that legal issues could “threaten to complicate the approval and closing” of Snyder’s sale to a group led by Josh Harris, per Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala.

The Washington Post reported that it was uncertain if the complications would impact the NFL’s plans next week to approve the sale from Snyder to the Harris group.

The complications, or at least part of the issue, are related to the leak of the Jon Gruden emails in 2021 that led to his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Apparently, the complications aren’t minor.

That person described the complications as “significant” and “not just some small snag,” expressing the view that the issues could delay the owners’ approval of the sale and the closing of the deal if they’re not resolved. But the person also left open the possibility that Snyder and his attorneys merely are attempting to extract last-minute concessions from the NFL on legal indemnification related to Gruden’s lawsuit against the league, and the issues will be resolved in time for the owners to ratify the deal as expected next Thursday.

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Commanders’ sale could ‘very likely be agreed to by July 20’

This would be ideal as it would be over before training camp begins.

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The Washington Commanders report to training camp in just over five weeks. Could the Commanders officially have a new owner in place when they open camp on July 27?

Last week, the NFL reportedly gave owners two dates on the Commanders’ sale from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris [July 20 and Aug. 8]. NFL owners are expected to approve the deal, especially after Harris and Mitchell Rales met with NFL’s finance committee recently.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, “the bid can very likely be agreed to by July 20.”

This would be ideal for the Commanders, who would enter training camp, officially beginning a new era. It would also allow ownership the opportunity to negotiate with players the team wants to re-sign, such as defensive end Montez Sweat and safety Kamren Curl.

Here’s more from Jones:

The bid can very likely be agreed to by July 20, but it’s the middle of the summer where 30-plus owners may not be able to get to one central location on that exact date. I’d imagine the Harris group would love this to be done by then so they can finally get their hands on the Commanders. The group has really only been able to communicate with team president Jason Wright due to league rules. To get this approved before training camp would allow new ownership to be present with boots on the ground for the start of camp.

Jones didn’t promise the vote would occur on the earlier date; he just expressed optimism that it can get done. With as much as the NFL and other owners want Snyder out, you’d think they can plan to be present for a meeting one month out.

Washington fans have grown tired of the constant updates that have seemingly gone back and forth at times. But the end is indeed near.

NFL eyeing 2 dates in coming months for owners to potentially vote on Commanders sale

The latest on the Commanders sale.

Could we be close to the sale of the Washington Commanders being final? According to Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal, NFL owners have been told to reserve two dates for a possible special league meeting where they would likely vote on the Washington sale.

The dates — July 20 & Aug. 8 — line up with previous reports on a timeline for owners to vote on the sale.

Mark Maske of The Washington Post confirmed Fischer’s report, adding that the exact date, location and agenda would be confirmed at a later time.

If the owners can agree to the July 20 date, that would mean the Commanders’ sale would be completed one week before the team opens training camp in Ashburn.

Daniel Snyder bought the then-Redskins in 1999 for $800 million from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke. He finalized an agreement to sell the team to a group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion in May.

Why are the NFL owners taking so long in the sale of the Commanders?

Some advice for the NFL to get this thing done.

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Why are the NFL owners taking so long in the sale of the Washington Commanders?

NFL owners have more than a few occasions declared that they must undergo a process of vetting the new owners comprising the Josh Harris Group.

Have the NFL owners forgotten where this franchise was just one calendar year ago? Have the NFL owners already forgotten how badly they wanted Daniel Snyder out of their elite club? Have they not recalled how this once-mighty franchise that was selling out all home games, has plummeted to number 32 last season in home attendance?

NFL owners just one year ago were doomed with Daniel Snyder. The plan was Snyder would hold onto the team until his children were old enough to take the reigns of ownership. But this would also mean Snyder would hang around for who knows how many more decades?

Losing at least half of the fan base, how much more could the NFL owners permit the declining trajectory of the Snyder-owned franchise to descend lower and lower? And, for how long would they permit such a downward trend?

Suddenly, during the 2022 season, it was announced Snyder was surprisingly looking to sell. Who would have dreamed the Josh Harris group would agree to overpay $6 billion for a franchise in decline and in need of a new stadium as well?

By the new year, the Snyder’s offices at the Ashburn facility were cleaned out, and Snyder did not even show up for Sonny Jurgensen’s No. 9 retirement ceremony. He was really done with the franchise. He was already moving on!

Isn’t this better (much better) than the NFL owners could have ever imagined? It has been Christmas for the NFL owners. They have been given a huge gift, and frankly, are they showing the gratitude they should display?

Josh Harris has incredibly provided the NFL owners the opportunity to rid themselves of Daniel Snyder, to help the Washington franchise regain a financial stability it once enjoyed for decades.

Yet, why are the NFL owners dragging their feet on this? Why won’t they go ahead and confirm Josh Harris has the new owner of the Washington Commanders?

Sometimes I wonder if this is a game of “chicken.” For instance, what if Harris suddenly proclaimed to the owners, “I’m sick of you not trying to help this franchise get ready for this season from a business side of things. So, you have two weeks to vote and confirm my ownership, or I am out. You can find someone else to replace ‘Mr Snyder’.”

Would we hear a different tune from the owners? Would they suddenly put their feet to the task and ‘get ‘er done’?

These delays, according to head coach Ron Rivera are costing the Commanders. They cannot have contract talks with any of their players who are entering the final year of their contracts, such as Kam Curl and Montez Sweat.

With modern-day technology, why can’t the NFL owners simply Zoom together and resolve this issue, allowing the Commanders to get back into business?

It is a competitive disadvantage. In addition, we are now being told this vote on the sale of the Commanders from Snyder to Harris may not be voted upon until August? Seriously?

“You cannot be serious!” (think John McEnroe).

Come on, NFL owners, get moving and do your part.

Chiefs Check-in: NFL rule changes unlikely to benefit Kansas City

The NFL’s owners voted to approve two new rules on Monday, neither of which are expected to benefit the #Chiefs

Chiefs Check-in is our online newsletter at Chiefs Wire, running Monday-Friday mornings. Subscribe to get more Chiefs news delivered to your inbox every day.

The Kansas City Chiefs are on a warpath to defend their championship title in 2023, and are one day closer to the beginning of the regular season with OTAs set to start this week. The team’s coaching staff will get its first look at their newly re-tooled roster in the coming days and should start solidifying their plans for training camp and the preseason as practices give them an idea of what the available talent might achieve.

Fans will have to wait until August to see the roster in action firsthand, but with quotes, clips and reports to release aplenty during workouts, the Chiefs won’t miss a beat in their preparation for the new season.

Here are all of the top stories about the Chiefs and teams around the NFL for the morning of Tuesday, May 23rd: