Washington Commanders sale still has hurdles to clear

The sale of the Washington Commanders still isn’t quite a done deal. According to the Washington Post, some “issues” remain before the NFL will approve the change in ownership.

The good news? Things seem to be moving in the right direction. The pending deal is in the “90 percent-plus range” to becoming official. Per the report, one of the biggest hangups at the moment is the amount of debt in the deal. The NFL has a $1.1 billion debt limit.

Josh Harris and his ownership group agreed to purchase the team from Dan Snyder and his family for $6 billion. That deal was reached in April but it’s taken some time for a finalization of the transaction.

Harris is expected to meet with the NFL financial committee next week. He has said he will make the “necessary adjustments” to get the deal finalized. In order for the organization to change hands, 24 of the 32 NFL owners must approve.

This won’t be Harris’ first rodeo in the sports ownership business. He also has ownership stakes in the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

Because Snyder is viewed as one of the biggest heels in professional sports ownership, there’s been a strong push to move him out of the league. However, the NFL is doing its due diligence before putting its stamp of approval on the sale of the Commanders.

Sale of Washington Commanders taking longer than expected

When an agreement was reached between Harris’ ownership group and the Snyder family, a huge sigh of relief swept across the D.C. area. Commanders fans are ready to move on to a different era.

But the process of the sale has gone a little longer than most would’ve expected. That includes commissioner Roger Goodell, who believed something would’ve been on the books by now.

“That progress will hopefully lead to them being comfortable to announce some type of a transaction probably by the middle of May or late May,” Goodell said during the NFL Draft.

It’s not just the fans affected by the process. Players and coaches within the organization probably want something finalized quickly to eliminate distractions with the 2023 season approaching.

“It really seemed like a load was lifted, because everybody was on pins and needles for the last couple of months,” Ron Rivera told USA Today following the news of the sale. “You kind of wondered what was going to happen.”

It sounds like approval is coming for the Commanders sale, but it’s not been a quick process.