EAGAN, Minn. — NFL owners were updated on the pending sale of the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder’s family to Josh Harris’ group, a prominent if not pressing issue. No vote on the record $6.05 billion transaction will occur this week.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, a member of the league finance committee, expressed guarded optimism about the completion of the deal.
“There’s certain criteria that has to be met, and that’s just the way it is. It’s not there yet, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t get there. It’s complicated. Put it that way. I could explain it to you, and it wouldn’t tell you anything,” Irsay said.
Neither Snyder nor his wife, Tanya, came to Minnesota for the meeting. The league’s preference, Irsay said, is to have the deal approved prior to the start of the regular season. Irsay indicated the amount of money at stake and the amount of investors involved in Harris’ group — which includes Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson — has lengthened the approval process.
“We’re working hard. Everyone wants to get it done, and it’s seeing that it just complies with league policy. It’s a complicated deal, so we’re trying to just work through it and we’re hopeful we can get it done. It’s going to take probably several more weeks of discussions before we see if we can reach the goal line,” Irsay said.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he wasn’t concerned about the viability of the bid from Harris, who owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils with partner David Blitzer, as long as it’s properly structured.
“Which it will be,” Jones said. “It’s too important for them to have the right structure coming in, because they’ll benefit by the way it’s been structured for everybody else in the past.”
There’s no timeline in place for a vote.
“These are outstandingly qualified owners,” Jones said. “That always rules the day on getting it cleared with the NFL.”
The Jones and Snyder families are close and have vacationed together. Stephen Jones, who accompanied his father to Minnesota for the meetings, had this to say about Washington’s proposed sale before leaving.
“Dan is a personal friend,’’ Stephen Jones said. “I hope at the end of the day, things end up where he and his family are happy with the situation.
“I know the league, the staff up there, the league and the committees involved with the sale, will do a great job of vetting and making sure if there is going to be a new partner, that new partner will be a great partner.’’
Staff writer David Moore contributed to this post.
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Cowboys' Jerry Jones, NFL owners get update on pending Commanders sale - The Dallas Morning News
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