Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is “interested” in bidding on the Washington Commanders, according to the Washington Post. Bezos, who also owns the Post, is considering partnering with rap mogul Jay-Z to buy the Commanders.
Commanders co-owners Dan and Tanya Snyder announced in a statement Wednesday they hired Bank of America Securities to consider “potential transactions” of the team. The statement didn’t specify the Snyders’ intention of selling the Commanders entirely, but a team spokesperson told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport the Snyders are “exploring all options.”
Bezos has long had an interest in purchasing an NFL franchise. Forbes lists the 58-year-old’s net worth at nearly $128 billion. His Amazon Prime currently holds the rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package.
Jeff Bezos is the second name to surface with interest in buying the Commanders. Media mogul Byron Allen is reportedly preparing to place a bid on the team.
Snyder has been the subject of several investigations that stem from toxic workplace culture, sexual misconduct with former employees, and financial improprieties by the NFL, the U.S. House Oversight Committee, and reportedly the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The whirlwind surrounding Snyder largely contributed to Bezos’s Post. In July 2020, the Post dropped a bombshell report based on over a dozen former employees levying allegations of workplace and sexual misconduct against several executives of the Commanders.
The Post has since produced additional reports that include highlighting a $1.6 million settlement paid to a former female Commanders’ employee, who accused Dan Snyder of groping her and asking for sex in April 2009.
If Bezos purchases the Commanders, he would be the league’s wealthiest owner, supplanting new Broncos owner Samuel “Rob” Walton.
