Daniel Snyder and wife Tanya have sought the services of Bank of America for a possible sale, has many people wondering how that will ultimately play out. With rumors of Snyder possibly selling, the usual suspects such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Twitter CEO Elon Musk have been thrown out as possible new owners of the once proud franchise.
Early Wednesday evening reports rang out about some financial improprieties by the organization. Seems like the Snyders knew this was coming and are trying to bail out and get ahead of it.
The U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of Virginia has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that the Commanders engaged in financial improprieties, sources confirmed to ESPN.
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— ESPN (@espn) November 2, 2022
Black NFL Ownership
During Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith went a different route, saying he’d like to see some African-American ownership. Smith even mentioned whom he’d like to see throw their names into the atmosphere. They are none other than music and business moguls Jay-Z and Beyoncé Carter. There aren’t any majority black owners in the NFL, and in Smith’s opinion … “there is a lack of diversity and representation.”
“It’s time for Black ownership. I know the lady, I think her name is Mellody Hobson, as a part owner of the Denver Broncos if I remember correctly, I hope I’m not wrong about that. I’m not sure. But I think that was, but I’m talking about a majority owner of a National Football franchise, that happens to be a Black person.
“That would be nice. One of the things that we have discussed and lamented throughout the recent history is the lack of representation, and the lack of diversity when it comes to the ownership group.”
.@stephenasmith reacts to Dan Snyder's potential sale of the Commanders: pic.twitter.com/0IJVlrpS0F
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 2, 2022
Smith continued …
“Maybe if there were more Black owners, more issues would be addressed more pointedly. More transparency with existing, obviously, more coaches would be of African-American descent and beyond. And so, I think I look at this as an opportunity to ingratiate an African-American into the proceedings. You have a guy like Jay-Z with Beyoncé, and Lord knows how much money they’re worth.”
In the past Jay-Z has let it be known he’d like to have a shot at NFL ownership. He’s already dabbled in NBA ownership, as a minority owner that played a vital role in getting the Nets to Brooklyn and having the Barclays Center built.
NFL Has No Majority Black Owners With 67 Percent Of Employees Black
To say diversity at the top is a problem in the NFL is being nice. Not only are there no Black majority owners, but there are also only five black GMs, three black head coaches and three black offensive coordinators. That’s a huge problem and needs to change. And while SAS, mentioned Jay-Z and Bey, there are others like media mogul Byron Allen, who according to Bloomberg, is actually preparing a bid for the Washington Commanders in what would be his second attempt this year to acquire a National Football League franchise, according to people familiar with the matter. He recently bid on the Broncos, who were sold to Walmart heir Rob Walton.
Deion Sanders Said Until We Have Black Ownership Things Won’t Change
During the offseason NFL head coach hiring frenzy, as Blacks were once again being overlooked, Coach Prime said they were going about making change incorrectly. That it needed to start from the top. His remedy to the racial disparity in league ownership was to award three cities expansion franchises and sell them to only black owners. That sounds good but is farfetched, and, yes, the Commanders are not an expansion team, but they could use a new leader, and what a move it would be to have a Black owner in the nation’s capital.
As Sanders says, you can’t make a billionaire who’s made his money his way hire someone he doesn’t want to. So, starting from the top is vital for Black advancement in these areas. It’s positive to see the names of Black entrepreneurs being at least thrown into the ring as possible candidates to lead investment groups for such a coveted purchase.
