Who are the main candidates to buy the Washington Commanders? Bezos, Fertitta…

Washington Commanders owners Dan and Tanya Snyder reportedly hired Bank of America Securities to explore the possible sale of the team late last year, and now, names of potential buyers are cropping up.

Jeff Bezos

The entrepreneur whose name has caught a lot of media attention is that of Jeff Bezos, listed by Forbes as the third richest person in the world. The Amazon founder is reported to have hired an investment firm to pave the way for placing a bid on the sports franchise. Bezos has not officially made a bid for the sale, and did not submit an offer in the first round of unofficial proposals which ended in December.

However, he is reportedly blacklisted by the Snyder family and banned from joining the bid for the team, for reasons involving the Washington Post, which Bezos owns.

Tilman Fertitta

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is another potential buyer, and the Post reports that he has submitted a bid, but that the $5.5 billion figure is below Snyder’s asking price of $7 billion. Aside from the Rockets, Fertitta owns Landry’s hospitality and gaming corporation. The billionaire from Texas has also been reported to have toured the training facilities of the Commanders.

Josh Harris

Josh Harris, owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, is also joining the bidding for the Washington team. Harris was said to be interested in the sale from the moment it was announced, and has visited the team’s training center. The private equity investor has a reported net worth of $6.2 billion.

Snyder under investigation

The process of selling the Washington team is taking place in the midst of another NFL investigation being conducted into the behavior of Snyder and the organization’s workplace. The Eastern Virginia District is also looking into accounts of financial irregularities within the franchise. The organization has denied these allegations.