In a gathering at a hotel just outside of Minneapolis on Thursday, the owners of the NFL voted unanimously to approve the purchase of the Washington Commanders by a nearly 20-person group led by Josh Harris from Dan Snyder.
The approval means that Snyder, who declared himself "a huge fan" in 1999 when he bought the then-Washington Redskins for around $800 million and said it was "the most wonderful thing that's ever happened" to him, will be paid $6.05 billion for the franchise, the largest sale price for an NFL team in history. The deal is expected to close as early as Friday.
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"As a lifelong Washington football fan, that grew up in Chevy Chase, I'm incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve alongside my partners as stewards of this great franchise on behalf of the city of Washington D.C.," Harris said shortly after the vote.
Harris, 58, is the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils. The minority partners in his consortium number around 17 and include Mitchell Rales (a Bethesda native), Mark Ein, Magic Johnson, Eric Schmidt, and several others.
"Josh will be a great addition to the NFL," league commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "He has a remarkable record in business, sports, and in his communities. The diverse group that Josh has put together is outstanding for its business acumen and strong Washington ties and we welcome them to the NFL as well."
On the sale to Harris, Indianapolis Colts owner Robert Irsay, who called for Snyder's removal, said "I think it's great." New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft called the news "great."
"From day one, it is our top priority to delieve you a championship caliber team, and we will stive everyday to ensure that we are a franchise you can be proud of," Harris said in a statement. "To Commanders fans everywhere, our promise is simple: We will do the work, create the culture and make the investment needed to deliever for this team and for Washington."
The new ownership group will face an uphill climb to accomplish those goals. They must first grapple with finding a new stadium for the franchise which has been looking to move from FedEx Field for several years and reignite a fan base that has seen its numbers dwindle and its overall intensity and ferocity diminish after years of poor on-field performance, a name change, and numerous scandals that tarnished the franchise's reputation and led to Snyder selling the team he grew up supporting. (Ater the sale was announced, the findings of Mary Jo White's 18-month investigation sustained allegations that Snyder sexually harassed a former team employee and fined him $60 million.)
Ironically, the franchise is in much of the same state as it was over 20 years ago when Snyder bought them ending the 25 years of ownership by the Cooke family, when the team finished 6-10 and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
"The Redskins are in a rebuilding phase," Snyder said in May 1999 after he won unanimous league approval for the purchase, via the Washington Post. "In my dreams, we'd win the Super Bowl next year. In truth, I hope and I'd like that to happen. However, in the coming year, you'll find there's a new energy at Redskin Park. You'll feel that energy in the stadium. That's my pledge. That's my obligation."
The team went 10-6 and won a playoff game in his first season as owner. Then, Snyder fired the head coach in two of the next three seasons.
"I'm not focused on the money, I'm focused on the opportunity and the dream... Hundreds of fans have written to me with their support and suggestions... Your most pressing issue is no different than mine. You want to win, we want to win, and we're going to deliver that," he said in 1999.
In the intervening 8,222 days, the franchise, which played under three names, had eight full-time head coaches and too many starting quarterbacks to count, never won 11 games in a regular season, and won just two playoff games in six trips, winning its last one in 2005.
At the time of the purchase, Kraft, then head of the NFL's finance committee, described Snyder as "passionate about the game."
"You don't have to worry that the new steward of the franchise has anything on his mind but winning," Kraft said 24 years ago. "A unanimous vote doesn't happen very often in this league. I have a bias for owners who are passionate and will put winning on the field above everything else."
The Washington franchise under Snyder compiled a regular season record of 164-220-2.
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