Just like David Tepper from a few years ago, a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers has reached a deal to buy his own NFL franchise. Josh Harris has officially closed on a deal to buy the Washington Commanders from a man that is widely considered to be the worst owner (at least currently), in the NFL. The NFL has already voted on the sale, and it was a unanimous 31-0 vote to approve Harris buying the team from Dan Snyder. What does this mean for the Commanders, as well as the NFL as a whole?
Fox News
Dan and Tanya Snyder have officially sold the Washington Commanders to Josh Harris.
Daniel Snyder’s sale of the Commanders to a group led by Josh Harris has closed, two people with knowledge of the matter confirmed. Official now. (1st by @BenFischerSBJ)
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) July 21, 2023
Right off the bat, Harris said that wants to do a total re-brand of the team's name. This late into the offseason, it seems unlikely that they will change yet, so they will continue with the Commanders name for now. It makes sense as to why he would want the change, as to almost give the team a rebirth. Give the team a new name and identity to try and clean the stench from the past scandals and controversies off and continue improving in the future.
There’s a ‘pretty good chance’ the new ownership of the Washington Commanders will change the franchise name and have a ‘complete re-branding’ of the team, per @DVNJr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 21, 2023
(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/nHL5USBSrX
There's no need to go over the scandals, back-stabbings, and failed cover-ups from the previous regime, as they are all well-known and well-documented. With this unanimous sale and other owners cheering after approving the sale, it's very obvious how much better the team and league will be with Snyder out of the picture. Even though there's still plenty of problems with ownership and the league, it's still one big leap in the right direction.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at a Super Bowl LVI news conference outside SoFi Stadium. | Photo Credit: Morry Gash / Associated Press
Despite the NFL being known for having scandal after scandal, it appears as if the NFL is at least trying to take a stand on things after the forced sale of the Commanders, as well as the Carolina Panthers when Jerry Richardson was forced to sell the team. Ironically, he sold the team to Tepper, who was another minority owner of the Steelers. There are still too many issues that the NFL needs to fix, but forcing the most scandalous owners out is still a great move.
What About Harris's Share Of The Steelers?
As of now, Harris is still a minority owner of the Steelers. There is a good chance that he has to sell his share of the team, since it would be a "conflict of interest" with him owning two teams, even though he only has the ability to run day-to-day operations with the Commanders. This wouldn't be the first time a former Steelers owner was put in this predicament in the first place, and it happened very recently.
NFL.com
Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Art Rooney II
As mentioned earlier, David Tepper was a minority owner of the Steelers. Once he bought the Panthers, he ended up selling his share of the Steelers, although it is unclear whether he was forced to or not. Either way, it seems to be in the best interest of the NFL to have minority owners sell their share once they become a majority owner of a different team, and it's safe to say that Harris will have to follow along with Tepper and sell his share of the Steelers sooner rather than later.
What do you think of Josh Harris buying the Commanders, as well as how the Commanders and NFL will be impacted by this sale? How do you feel about Harris potentially having to sell his share of the Steelers due to owning a team of his own now? Let us know down in the comments below.
#SteelerNation.
