Photo: Franziska Krug/Getty
Jeff Bezosis not selling theWashington Postin an effort to buy the NFL’sWashington Commanders, a source close to the Amazon founder tells PEOPLE.
The multi-billionaire has been reportedly “looking into” buying the team since late 2022, aspreviously reported, but anew reportfrom theNew York Postclaiming he was now looking to part ways with theWashington Postto become an NFL team owner is untrue, per the source.
Jeff Bezos.Michael M. Santiago/Getty
The NY Poststory cites unnamed sources, and points to plans of layoffs at the newspaper, which Bezos has owned since 2013.
PEOPLE first reported in early November that Bezos was “looking into buying” the Commanders, soon after news broke that the current, embattled owners, Dan and Tanya Snyder, were exploring plans to sell the team.
At the time, Bezos was considering making the purchase “possibly in partnership” withJay-Z, an insider told PEOPLE. The rapper previously owned a stake in the Brooklyn Nets.
“It is my favorite sport,” Bezos told CNN at the time. “So we’ll just have to wait and see.”
The Amazon founder’s interest in buying an NFL team dates back to at least 2019, whenCBS Sports reportedthat he had expressed the desire. Sources told the outlet at the time that Bezos “has strong support within the league to eventually join their ranks,” but no teams were for sale then.
Now, however, the Snyders are considering selling the Commanders and “have hired BofA [Bank of America] Securities to consider potential transactions.” PerThe Wall Street Journal,hiring a bank is a common first stepin the process of selling a team.
Dan and Tanya Snyder.Rob Carr/Getty
Snyder’s possible consideration of a sale comes as he faces allegations of “toxic workplace culture,” which he has since denied. In November, DC Attorney General Karl Racine announced announced a lawsuit over Snyder allegedly “colluding to deceive District residents.”
“That was all a lie,” the AG said of Snyder’s intent to investigate the team’s culture. “Instead, the NFL turned a blind eye to Snyder’s extensive efforts to silence or intimidate witnesses, and the NFL and Commanders entered into a secret agreement that gave Snyder power to veto the release of any results,” Racine stated.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Commanders counsel John Brownlee and Stuart Nash said that while they also want the truth, they deny some of the lawsuit’s claims. “Over two years ago, Dan and Tanya Snyder acknowledged that an unacceptable workplace culture had existed within their organization for several years and they have apologized many times for allowing that to happen,” the statement read.
“We agree with AG Racine on one thing: the public needs to know the truth. Although the lawsuit repeats a lot of innuendo, half-truths and lies, we welcome this opportunity to defend the organization — for the first time — in a court of law and to establish, once and for all, what is fact and what is fiction.”
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This isn’t the first time Bezos name has been included inteam-acquisition talk. In October,Shaquille O’Nealsaid he’d be interested in partnering with Bezos in a possible bid to buy one of his former basketball teams: The Phoenix Suns.
“I was interested but when Big Man JB said he was interested, nobody can compete with Big Man JB,” O’Neal said to TMZ, nicknaming the Amazon executive as “Big Man JB.”
He continued, “Once Jeff Bezos put his name in the hat, all you others just close your checkbook and go home.”
source: people.com
