We are getting late in the process of the sale for the Washington Commanders. The NFL wants it done. And, apparently, owners Dan and Tanya Snyder are looking forward to it being over, too.
One man keeping the process alive is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
No, Bezos isn’t officially holding up the process; his lack of involvement thus far has been the biggest mystery since the Commanders went up for sale in November.
Will Bezos place a bid? Is he even allowed to place a bid? Remember the reports from earlier this year that Dan Snyder was now allowing Bezos to enter the bidding process? Not true, says a source close to Snyder.
Snyder’s animus toward Bezos comes from Bezos owning The Washington Post. The Washington Post has broken many of the stories concerning the organization’s toxic workplace under Snyder’s ownership.
While Bezos has yet to bid on the Commanders, he reportedly hired Allen & Company, an investment firm known for being involved in the transactions of professional sports franchises. Why would he do that if he wasn’t at least considering a bid on the Commanders?
Now comes a report from Theodore Schleifer of Puck that suggests things are far from over regarding Bezos potentially buying the Commanders.
Schleifer covers a lot of bases regarding Bezos and his potential interest in the Commanders, including how in 2021, he had his close business associate “poke around the team.”
Check out this excerpt from Schleifer’s story:
His interest was not merely an idle fancy—he was absolutely intrigued, I’m told. Bezos could have done this himself, but in a sign of his commitment, he decided to hire a team at Allen & Co.—Steve Greenberg, Terry Morris and Mike Melnitzky—to explore an offer. The Allen sports team lacks extensive buy-side experience, as several peers noted, but are known for their discretion. Bezos and Allen were granted a nondisclosure agreement to peruse the team’s financials (although Bezos, unlike other NDA’d prospective buyers, didn’t tour the facilities). According to a person briefed on the conversation, Bezos also spoke directly with Snyder sometime around the holidays.
Did you catch that last part? Snyder and Bezos spoke around the holidays. That seems like a fairly large deal. Something else to note, which isn’t breaking news, Bezos and his potential interest in the franchise hasn’t leaked to the media.
We know of three bids for the Commanders: the Josh Harris group, featuring Mitchell Rales and Magic Johnson; Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. Harris is the clear favorite — until he isn’t. What that means is if Bezos enters the bidding, it’s his team.
Will that happen? With a deadline of May 22, Bezos has plenty of time. Schleifer does an outstanding job of highlighting why Bezos has chosen to remain out of the early bidding for the Commanders.
If Bezos wants the Commanders, he’ll own the Commanders.
