In early February, the Pat Bowlen Trust announce It has been set Denver Broncos For sale, marking the end of the Bowlen family’s 38-year ownership period. Friday, New York Post mentioned Rob Walton, son of Helen and Sam Walton and heir to the Walmart fortune, is expected to make a $4 billion bid for the team.
Walton, who has a net worth of about $70 billion, is supposed to be able to buy the team without any other partners, but it will also go through the standard scrutiny process that potential NFL owners are subject to. If accepted, the $4 billion price tag would easily be the record price for the sale of an American professional sports franchise. David Tepper paid $2.2 billion for Carolina Panthers In 2018, Joe Tsai paid $2.3 billion to buy the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
The Post additionally reported that the Broncos is only accepting offers of $4 billion or more, noting that insiders expect a final sale price between $4.5 billion and $5.5 billion. Founder of Apollo Global Management Josh Harriswho also owns the Philadelphia 76ers, is expected to bid as well, according to The Post.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports NFL mentioned In late February, the NFL was deeply interested in courting Robert F. Smith, the CEO of Vista Equity Partners and America’s richest black man, as a potential buyer, but Smith seemed uninterested in making an offer. (The Post has reported that he does not wish to bid while raising capital for his fund.) La Canfora also noted rumors circulating about Entertainment Studios CEO Byron Allen, but indicated that he did not expect an Allen-led bid to prevail. Since the league does not have any black majority, bids from Smith and/or Allen will likely be strongly considered.
It’s also likely that Walton’s offer will be strongly considered, given his wealth and the fact that his cousin, Anne, is married to Los Angeles rams Owner Stan Kroenke.
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