According to a person with knowledge of the deliberations, Fertitta has made an offer for the Commanders, but is not believed to be a front-runner to buy the franchise from Daniel Snyder. That person described the sale process as “a bit stalled” and estimated that Fertitta’s offer was just over $5.5 billion.
Another person familiar with the matter said Fertitta is interested in the commanders and presumably visited the team’s training facility in Ashburn.
Fertitta representatives did not respond to requests for comment Saturday night.
Fertitta is the owner and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment Inc., which owns Rockets, restaurant and hospitality company Landry’s, and the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casinos. According to Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of $8.1 billion. He bought the Rockets from Leslie Alexander in 2017 for $2.2 billion.
Harris visited the commanders’ facility, two people familiar with the situation said this month. Harris was a co-founder of Apollo Global Management and is a general partner of Crystal Palace in the English Premier League. He is a limited partner in the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. Harris grew up in Chevy Chase and attended Field School in Northwest Washington.
Harris, who has an estimated net worth of $6.2 billion according to Forbes, tried to buy the Denver Broncos last year but lost the bid from a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton.
Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, has hired an investment firm to evaluate his potential bid for the Commanders, two people familiar with the situation said this week. Bezos has partnered with Allen & Company, a New York-based firm that is prominent in dealings with professional sports franchises. It covered the two most recent NFL franchise sales, those of the Carolina Panthers and the Broncos. It remains unclear whether Bezos will make a bid for the Commanders.
The Commanders announced in November that Snyder and his wife, Tanya, the team’s co-CEO, had hired Bank of America to consider possible transactions related to the franchise. The team has not said whether the Snijders will sell all or part of the franchise. Four people familiar with the process said in December they believe a sale of the entire team is the most likely outcome.
The bidding process is taking place as the NFL conducts its second investigation into Daniel Snyder and the team’s workplace, led by attorney Mary Jo White. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia is also investigating allegations of financial impropriety involving the team. The team has denied committing any financial error.
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