Daniel Snyder's Days As Commanders Owner Coming To Close As Sale Agreement Done With Josh Harris
Daniel Snyder will soon be a memory in history for the Washington Commanders and the NFL.
The Commanders and a partnership led by Josh Harris have reached a purchase and sale agreement, both parties announced Friday. The $6.05 billion dollar deal will be the highest price ever paid for an American sports franchise.
The agreement calls for Harris and his partners to purchase the Commanders from Dan Snyder and his family. The next step is for the sale to be approved by at least 24 of the NFL's 32 owners as well as meeting the agreed upon closing conditions.
Both steps are expected to move forward without drama. The NFL may vote on the Harris group as early as later this month.
Washington Commanders ownership: Daniel Snyder, out; Josh Harris, in. (Getty Images/USA Today)
The NFL in general and owners in particular have shown a private and even public desire to have Snyder out as the Commanders owner after he's overseen a franchise that has been the subject of multiple league, legal, and even congressional investigations.
"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners," Dan and Tanya Snyder said in a statement. "We look forward to prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team int he coming years."
The sales price has not been announced. But it has been widely reported the price is $6.05 billion.
Next Commanders Owner Josh Harris is not new to buying professional sports teams.
He has previously led groups that purchased both the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA and the New Jersey Devils of the NHL. The Harris group includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson as a partner.
"On behalf of our entire ownership group -- including Mitch Rales, my longtime sports business partner David Blitzer and Earvin Johnson -- I want to express how excited we are to be considered by the NFL to be the next owners of the Washington Commanders," Harris said in a statement.
And then the key part of the Harris statement:
"We look forward to running a world-class organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community."
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The investment on the field would likely include a search for a new home stadium for the Commanders. FedEx Field where they've played for decades has become something of a substandard venue.
Off the field, the NFL is hoping the Commanders can escape the Snyder leadership shadow and once again become one of its legacy franchises -- as it was before Snyder took over.
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