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According to a person familiar with the situation, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is interested in bidding for the Washington Commanders.
An offer from Bezos for the team could include music mogul Jay-Z as an investor, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday as the potential sale of the franchise is in the early stages.
“I don’t know if they will work on it,” said this person, adding that everyone is “interested.”
Bezos is the owner of the Washington Post. He has been mentioned as a potential owner of other NFL franchises including the Seattle Seahawks.
Amazon currently carries the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” bundle.
News of Bezos’ interest was first reported by People.
The Commanders said on Wednesday Daniel and Tanya Snyder, his wife and co-CEO of the franchise, had hired an investment bank to “consider potential transactions” related to the Commanders. The team did not specify whether the Snyders intend to sell the entire franchise or a minority interest. A Commanders spokesman said on Wednesday: “We are reviewing all options.”
Consideration of a sale comes with Daniel Snyder and the team being investigated by the NFL, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the DC and Virginia attorneys general. Investigators for the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia have been interviewing witnesses about allegations of financial irregularities involving the team, several people familiar with the situation said Wednesday. The team has denied any financial wrongdoing
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said last month that NFL team owners should seriously consider voting to remove Snyder from commanders’ ownership.
Forbes estimated in August that the Commanders are worth $5.6 billion.
Bezos has an estimated net worth of $113.2 billion according to Forbes, which currently ranks him as the fourth richest person in the world.
Other NFL owners have expressed a strong desire for Bezos to buy a team in the past.
“I’m sure it would ultimately be in everyone’s best interest for someone as community-minded as he is to get involved in the Seattle situation,” New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a 2019 interview with The Post .
Amazon became the exclusive national provider of the Thursday night package as part of the NFL’s new broadcast deals announced last year. These deals pay the league more than $110 billion in rights fees over 11 years.
Bezos attended Thursday night’s season opener, broadcast by Amazon — the Chiefs-Chargers game on Sept. 15 in Kansas City, Mo. — and sat alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for at least part of the game.
Jay-Z, whose first name is Shawn Carter, partnered with the NFL in 2019 to have his agency Roc Nation co-produce the Super Bowl halftime show. He is a former co-owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion, according to Forbes.