Scandal-Plagued Owner of the Washington Commanders Agrees to Sell the Team for $6 BillionA group led by Josh Harris, an owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, is reportedly purchasing the team.
ByDan Bova•
Washington Commanders' owner Dan Snyder has agreed to the sale of his team for $6 billion, according to sports news outletSportico:
EXCLUSIVE: Dan Snyder has reached an agreement in principle to sell the@Commandersfor $6 billion to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris
— Sportico (@Sportico)April 13, 2023
哈里斯的群体,包括亿万富翁米切尔罗音and former NBA star@MagicJohnsonpic.twitter.com/ZIWKqeqtmN
This marks the end of an ownership marked with scandals ranging from cultural insensitivity to sexual harassment to accusations of mismanagement. The team is being bought by a group led by Josh Harris, an owner of the N.B.A.'s Philadelphia 76ers and the N.H.L.'s New Jersey Devils.
Related:华盛顿足球队正式重新命名a Year-Long Search
Who is Josh Harris?
Josh Harris is buying a team in his hometown of Washington, D.C. Harris grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and went to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. According toThe Athletic, Harris made his fortune in private equity, working in mergers and acquisitions at Drexel Burnham Lambert before co-founding Apollo Global Management in 1990.Bloombergputs Harris' net worth at $7.63 billion.
Related:Former Navy SEAL Commanders Say New Leaders Always Make the Same Two Mistakes
This isn't Harris's foray into sports. Along with David Blitzer, he led a group that bought the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils. He also owns a stake in Crystal Palace F.C. of the Premier League and a less than 5% stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Harris and Blitzer have reputations for overhauling organizations with an eye on giving teams the tools, resources, and talent they need to win.
That is not a reputation that Dan Snyder will leave with. The NFL is conducting a second investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Snyder and within the ranks of his executive team, as well asfinancial improprieties, reports theNew York Times.Snyder has been unable tobuild a new stadium for his teamand faced massive backlash for refusing to change the team name (the team was formally called the Redskins) despite years of protests from Native American groups. In 2013, hetold USA Today, "We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps." Finally, after facing financial pressure from pulled sponsorships, the name was changed to "The Washington Football Team" in 2020 before officially taking their new name, the Washington Commanders, in 2022.
Pardon My Take's Tweet pretty much summarizes the overall reaction of the Commanders' fanbase:
Dan Snyder has officially sold the Washington Commanderspic.twitter.com/opJvLSdTLx
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake)April 13, 2023
