Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is barred from bidding by Washington commanders, according to a report from The Athletic.
The team’s banker, Bank of America, has reportedly informed Bezos of that decision, and a person briefed on the sale process told The Athletic that this has been Bezos’ reality for months.
Bezos, who is worth more than $119 billion according to Forbes, owns The Washington Post. The newspaper has published several stories documenting an alleged culture of harassment within the commanders’ organization that helped increase pressure to sell. The team’s current owner, Daniel Snyder, has long believed the newspaper “worked hard to drive him out of the NFL,” according to the report.
The New York Post first reported that Snyder was keeping Bezos out of the sale process, noting that Snyder could choose to retain control of the franchise if bids fall short of the desired price of $6-7 billion. Snyder bought the team for a record $800 million in 1999.
Bezos hasn’t had access to the team’s finances because he’s barred from bidding, but he has been working with boutique investment firm Allen &, according to The Athletic’s report. Co., the same company that handled the $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos last year. and the $2.275 million sale of the Carolina Panthers in 2018, according to the source.
Another potential bidder is Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris, who visited the Washington facility in January. Other reported potential bidders include some who fell short in their pursuit of the Broncos. Harris also made an offer for Denver.
Bezos did not bid in the first round of bids that closed recently, which reportedly consisted of offers well below the asking price — less than $6 billion.
The news comes after the Chiefs landed Eric Bieniemy as their new offensive coordinator after the 53-year-old spent the past five seasons in the same role with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Bieniemy reportedly asked head coach Ron Rivera and president Jason Wright for clarity on selling the franchise during his interview process.
“Eric, like the rest of us, sees the transition as a good one for the organization,” Wright said Thursday after Bieniemy’s introductory news conference. “It’s nothing but a plus for the organization, and we’ve already had a lot of success rebuilding the football side of the business from where we started when Ron took over.”
Wright said Bieniemy also asked questions about the Washington principals throughout the process, according to the report.
“I mean, of course, ask about the stability and the organization and the transaction process and the sale and all these other things,” Wright said. “For someone who will be a close teammate and a leader committed to leading us to a championship, it was important to be able to answer that.”
Snyder announced in November 2022 that the club had hired Bank of America Securities to explore a possible sale of all or part of the franchise following a wave of scandals and negative attention that plagued the franchise last season.
The Chiefs’ home attendance was the worst in the NFL in 2022, according to ESPN. Washington fans filled an average of 96.5 percent of stadiums on the road while filling just 85.9 percent of FedEx Field, the league’s worst mark by nearly 7 percent.
Snyder’s decision on whether or not to sell is expected at the league’s annual owners meeting, which begins March 26.
Read more:
National Football League
Commanders of Washington
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS trend
Get more from Washington’s commanders Follow your favorites for information on games, news and more