Media mogul Byron Allen, owner of Allen Media Group, is considering bidding for the Washington Commanders NFL franchise, according to Bloomberg,
Allen—who, depending on the source is worth between $500-800 million—is working with an investor group, according to confidential sources. If it happens, it would be the second time this year he considered acquiring an NFL team after a similar consideration in February to bid for the Denver Broncos, who were eventually acquired for $4.65 billion by an investor group headed by the Walton family, owners of Wal-Mart.
If it went through, Allen would be the first black owner of an NFL franchise and could alleviate some concerns over the lack of diversity in the sports’ ranks. In addition to AMG's 27 TV stations, Allen's Entertainment Studios conglomerate also owns cable properties including The Weather Channel and has joint ownership of 21 regional sports networks with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
The news came the same day current Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder—who is being investigated by Congress for sexual harassment allegations in the organization—announced, along with his wife Tanya, that they had hired Bank of America to lead a possible sale of the franchise.
The sale would have to be approved by the three quarters (24 of 32 teams) by the full membership, an NFL spokesman said Wednesday.
Other potential owners' names that surfaced Wednesday include Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban and former AOL executive Ted Leonsis, who already owns the Washington Wizards NBA, Washington Capitols NHL and Washington Mystics WNBA teams.
