A fourth name has entered the fray for the bidding for the Washington Commanders, but only to partner with one of the three known suitors.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mitchell Rales is partnering with Josh Harris, the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, in his attempt to buy the Commanders from Dan Snyder.
Harris is one of three known suitors along with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. However, it has been reported that Bezos has been rebuffed in attempts to place a bid by Snyder and only Harris and Fertitta have submitted bids that are believed to be under the perceived $6 billion asking price.
The addition of a Rales to the Harris group makes sense as Josh Kosman of the New York Post told Team 980 in February that Harris and a “mystery bidder” later identified as Fertitta were “having a hard time getting to $6 billion [asking price from Snyder as] they don't have enough cash.”
"I think both parties are scrambling for co-investors," Kosman told Team 980 in February. He added that both non-Bezos parties would need minority investors to take on "significant interest" in the team to make the purchase at $6 billion.
Rales, like Harris, grew up in Bethesda, and is the co-founder of the Danaher Corporation. And his net worth is estimated to be in the range of $5-6 billion.
Along with his brother, Steven, he co-founded the first all-sports radio station, WTEM, in Washington in 1992.
Rales, 67, is a graduate of Walt Whitman High School. He and his wife developed Glenstone, a private contemporary art museum in Potomac, MD.
Follow @BenKrimmel and @Team980 for more.
Related
