With the Commanders gathering bids in anticipation of Daniel Snyder selling his ownership stake (the result of sexual harassment allegations spanning decades), a new suitor has emerged with billionaire entrepreneur Josh Harris recently touring team headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia, according to Ben Standig and Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic. If his bid is successful, it would add to an investment portfolio that already includes controlling interests in the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and Premier League side Crystal Palace.
Once final bids are submitted, the Commanders could command over $7 billion, dwarfing the record amount paid by Walmart heir Rob Walton when he purchased the Broncos for $4.65 billion last year. Harris, who made his fortune in private equity, faces stiff competition from other potential buyers including entertainment mogul Byron Allen, Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano of Santa Monica-based investment firm Clearlake Capital and Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame.
The world’s third-richest person according to Forbes with an estimated net worth of $120.8 billion, Bezos shouldn’t have any trouble outbidding the field, though his pursuit is complicated by his ties to the Washington Post, who exposed Snyder’s workplace misconduct in painstaking detail. Despite his resentment of Bezos, many close to the situation suspect Snyder would still sell to him if his bid was substantially higher than other offers.
After years of resisting, fighting to keep his team amid endless scandals, Snyder finally admitted defeat with November’s announcement that he would begin exploring “potential transactions,” retaining services from Bank of America to help facilitate that process. Though he and his family currently reside in Miami, Harris has roots in D.C., growing up in nearby Chevy Chase, Maryland.
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