Washington Commanders Officially Agree to Sell Franchise

The Washington Commanders are getting closer to being under new ownership. On Friday, the NFL franchise announced it has entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Josh Harris who also owns the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA and the New Hersey Devils of the NHL. According to ESPN, the group led by Harris agreed to pay the Commanders $6.05 million for the team. The purchase and sale agreement agreed to by Harris' group and the Commanders owners Daniel and Tanya Snyder is subject to NFL approval this comes nearly one month after the Snyders reached a preliminary nonexclusive agreement to sell the Franchise to Harris. 

"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners," the Snyders said in a statement. "We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years."  

Harris, the co-founder of Apollo Management, has a net worth of $5.9 billion, according to Forbes. The group also includes Mitchell Rales, who has a net worth of $5.3 billion, and legendary NBA player Magic Johnson. "On behalf of our entire ownership group ... I want to express how excited we are to be considered by the NFL to be the next owners of the Washington Commanders and how committed we are to delivering a championship-caliber franchise for this city and its fanbase," Harris said. "Growing up in Chevy Chase, I experienced first-hand the excitement around the team, including its three Super Bowl victories and long-term winning culture. We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the months ahead and to having the honor to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise moving forward."

Harris' group will also get FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland and the team's practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia. The Commanders have been seeking a new stadium somewhere in the D.C. area, but Daniel Snyder's presence and the investigations into him and the franchise have stalled the process, according to ESPN. Daniel Snyder purchased the team in 1999 for $800 million following the death of previous owner Jack Kent Cooke. 

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