- Jeff Bezos didn't deny reports that he's interested in buying an NFL team in an interview with CNN.
- "I played football growing up as a kid ... and it is my favorite sport," he said. "So we'll just have to wait and see."
Jeff Bezos isn't denying reports that he plans to try to buy the NFL's Washington Commanders.
The Amazon founder was asked about the rumors of his interest in the franchise during an interview Saturday with CNN's Chloe Melas. Multiple news outlets reported earlier this month that Bezos plans to team up with music mogul Jay-Z to buy the Washington, DC-area team.
"Yes, I've heard that buzz," a smiling Bezos said, according to CNN.
"I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I played football growing up as a kid … and it is my favorite sport," he added. "So we'll just have to wait and see."
Bezos' girlfriend, Lauren Sánchez, added: "I do like football. I'm just going to throw that out there for everyone."
The Commanders' billionaire owners, Dan and Tanya Snyder, announced earlier this month that they'd hired Bank of America to "consider potential transactions," which could include a sale. The Snyders have been under pressure for several years to sell the team amid allegations of financial improprieties, which the team's owners have denied, and claims by some that the team has a "toxic" workplace culture, which the team's owners also have denied.
A sale of the team could fetch as much as $7 billion, according to Front Office Sports, which cited other team executives and bankers in making its estimate.
Bezos, currently the world's fourth-richest person with a fortune worth $124 billion, has long been a favorite to take over Washington's franchise, likely because of his ties to the city: He owns a $23 million mansion in DC as well as the city's newspaper, the Washington Post. Earlier this month, he was spotted having dinner with Jay-Z in Los Angeles, further igniting speculation that the duo was forming an ownership group to bid on the team.
But the pair may run into some opposition: NBC's Peter King reported that Snyder doesn't want to sell to Bezos due to his ownership of the Post, which published a series of reports in 2020 alleging rampant sexual harassment within the organization.
Plus, until — or unless — Bezos submits a bid, it's hard to know how sincere his interest really is, since his name often comes up with franchises are in trouble or put up for sale. Since 2018, Bezos has been linked to four NFL teams, including Washington, the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers. None of those rumors amounted to anything, and Bezos has never publicly discussed his interest in team ownership until now.
Still, Bezos and Sánchez have a proven interest in football. Bezos attended the Super Bowl in 2019, 2020, and 2022, and sat alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at a Thursday night game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers in September.
Amazon also plans to air the first-ever Black Friday game in 2023, and currently sponsors "Thursday Night Football" — Sánchez's former boyfriend and the father of her oldest son, former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, co-hosts the broadcast.