The Washington Commanders are on the verge of transitioning into a new era. Dan Snyder has been the long-time owner of his favorite boyhood team since 1999. He had then brought the Commanders for $750 million. But the years that followed saw Snyder’s involvement in several cases of sexual misconduct and financial disparities. So, when Dan Snyder announced that they were planning to sell the franchise in November, many sighed with relief.
This led to Josh Harris and a group including NBA legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson becoming one of the primary potential buyers from the hands of Snyder for a whopping $6 billion. It also saw a $7 billion bid from DC United minority Brian Davis come to a dramatic end. As the franchise is getting ready to be handed over to the group led by Josh Harris, some folks at the Pat McAfee show seem to be excited about the change in the Washington Commanders’ ownership. And it does not look like they have any respect for Snyder after his dismal ownership reign.
Dan Snyder is out of the NFL
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During a recent episode of the Pat McAfee show, AJ Hawk and co were discussing the finalization of the Commanders’ sale to the group led by Josh Harris including Magic Johnson. They talked about how the situation is finally a done affair and how Snyder is finally out of the NFL. They said, “It’s basically a done deal now and I can’t believe that we’re actually at the day where the cockroach who is Dan Snyder is out of the NFL.”
About a month ago, both Snyder and Harris’ group agreed in principle on the sale of the Commanders for $6.5 billion. Both sides announced the finalization of the deal on Friday, which is the largest deal for a North American professional sports franchise. It also surpasses the $4.5 billion sale of the Denver Broncos last year to Walmart heir Robert Walton. While the Commanders’ sale is still pending approval from three-quarters of NFL owners and other closing conditions, AJ Hawk and co feel that the $6 billion paid to Snyder will make him “kind of just go away forever” from the NFL.
But while the franchise will see a new dawn approaching under their new owners, the sale also has an irreversible impact on future sales of NFL teams.
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The long term impact of the Commanders sale
According to the NFL rules that dictate the sale of any franchise, new owners need to pay minimum cash of 30 percent of the team. Considering the sale of the Commanders at $6.5 billion, there are talks that Harris’s group will incur more than the allowable amount of debt to purchase the franchise. This sale could lead to the NFL rulebooks on buying a franchise going through a couple of changes. The price of franchises in the NFL has skyrocketed in 2023. This also means that the number of potential buyers has also become microscopic in nature.
So if groups like Josh Harris and Co aren’t able to provide the actual cash needed to acquire a franchise under the NFL guidelines, then there may be changes made to better accommodate the smooth transitioning of franchises in the future. Do you think the new acquisition of the Washington Commanders is a ray of new hope for the team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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