After a whirlwind week of news last week regarding the Washington Commanders and owner Daniel Snyder, it has been relatively quiet over the past few days. Mark Maske of The Washington Post reported earlier this week at the NFL’s committee meetings that Snyder and the Commanders were discussed.
One nugget Maske discussed was that Snyder hadn’t communicated any specifics regarding the sale to the NFL or fellow owners, leading some to become nervous that he would back out.
Now, we have news.
On Thursday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that DC billionaire Mitchell Rales is partnering with Josh Harris in an attempt to buy the Commanders. Harris is one of two known bidders for the team, along with Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.
DC billionaire Mitchell Rales is partnering with Josh Harris in their attempt to buy the Washington Commanders, per league source. Rales is the co-founder of the Danaher Corporation, DC’s largest company.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2023
Rales is the co-founder of Danaher Corporation and is worth $5.6 billion, according to Forbes. Harris owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils and has a net worth of $6.2 billion.
Harris has toured Washington’s Ashburn facility.
With Harris and Rales as partners, Harris, who would likely be considered the lead investor, would have no problem coming up with a 30% equity stake in the franchise. If the Commanders sell for $6 billion, that number will come in at under $2 billion.
The NFL had hoped to vote on a sale of the Commanders at the owner’s meetings on March 26. While that may not be attainable, it’s clear there is movement on the sale of the Commanders, and it does not include Jeff Bezos — for now, anyway.