Fans are reacting predictably to word that a sale of the Washington Commanders could be in the works, as a possible suitor comes forward.
Bloomberg late Wednesday reported that media entrepreneur Byron Allen is preparing a bid for the franchise, citing people familiar with the matter. If Allen succeeds in buying the team, he would become the first Black majority owner of an NFL franchise.
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Meanwhile, at the sports bar Caddies on Cordell in Bethesda, Maryland, long-suffering fans (as expected) did not come to the defense of the current ownership.
“I believe that a lot of the things that they’ve done were not well thought out, such as the name change,” said D.C. resident Rob Brandon. He called the name change “flubbed.”
“It seems like everything that they do, they do it either reactively or they do it with not much thought,” he said.
“I just want to see better leadership from the top, again, because then I will actually start going to games,” said another fan, who asked to be identified only as Tony. “Because right now it just seems like a mess from top to bottom and you can see it on the field, off the field … they need to sell it.”
Owner and bartender Ronnie Heckman voiced support for a minority owner.
“I think it’d be very appropriate in a city like this that has such a historical and prominent Black community,” Heckman said.
This all comes after the Commanders announced Wednesday that Dan and Tanya Snyder have hired Bank of America Securities to “consider potential transactions.”
When asked if the Snyders were considering selling just part or all of the team, a spokesperson said, “We are exploring all options.”
It was not immediately clear how soon a possible sale could happen. League spokesperson Brian McCarthy said, “Any potential transaction would have to be presented to the NFL Finance Committee for review and require an affirmative vote by three-quarters of the full membership.” That means 24 of 32 owners.
The Commanders are worth an estimated $5.6 billion, according to Forbes.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.