As Dan Snyder is “exploring all options” for a potential sale of the Washington Commanders, media mogul Byron Allen is preparing a bid to buy the team, according to Kamaron Leach of Bloomberg.
Dan Snyder and his wife Tanya announced Wednesday they hired the Bank of America Securities to “consider potential transactions” of the Commanders. According to Forbes, at least four groups have expressed interest in buying the Commanders.
According to Bloomberg, Allen is working with an investor group to buy the Commanders from Snyder. Allen made a bid to buy the Denver Broncos earlier this year after an approach from both NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Ultimately, the Broncos sold to a group led by Walmart heir Samuel “Rob” Walton for $4.65 billion.
If sold, the Commanders are expected to be bought by a significantly higher number than the Broncos.
The 61-year-old Byron Allen is a native of Detroit. He rose to fame initially as a comedian. However, Allen later shifted his focus to being a media mogul. He founded Allen Media Group, which has acquired many television stations through the years.
Allen’s Entertainment Studios purchased the Weather Channel from NBCUniversal in 2018 for $300 million. In 2019, Allen partnered with Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy 21 Fox Sports regional networks from Walt Disney for an estimated $9.6 billion. He also bought 11 stations from USA Television.
If Allen lands a majority stake in the Commanders, he will become the NFL’s first Black majority owner. Coincidentally, Commanders president Jason Wright is the NFL’s first Black team president.
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