The Washington Commanders will soon have a new owner, and it does not appear it will be Brian Davis. The former Duke basketball player supposedly submitted the highest bid to purchase the Commanders, but information is trickling out that helps explain why Daniel Snyder and the NFL are going in another direction.
It was first reported in March by “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan that Davis made a $7 billion cash offer for the Commanders. WUSA9 then shared some of the supposed details of the offer last week, claiming Davis offered to pay Snyder $1 billion in the first 24 hours after an agreement and $6 billion within seven days after that.
That is significantly higher than the $6.05 billion bid Snyder received from Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris. It’s fair to question why Snyder and the NFL would be working toward finalizing a deal with Harris when another bidder offered $1 billion more for the Commanders.
According to a report from A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports, Davis may have financial backers in the Middle East. One member of Davis’ camp told Perez that some of the funding would come from Israel. Another source who is familiar with the bid but not a part of Davis’ inner circle said the belief is that Saudi Arabia is the true source of the funds.
Davis has denied that he has financial backers in Saudi Arabia, but the skepticism about his bid is obviously very real. WUSA9 also claimed Davis agreed to absorb any legal liability related to Snyder and ongoing investigations into the Commanders. So, we are supposed to believe that Snyder received a real $7 billion offer that would also let him wash his hands of any legal issues and turned it down? Something does not add up.
The NFL requires new owners to come up with 30 percent in cash up front. There are also then various other requirements and league rules that are too complicated to list. If Davis’ bid is not going through, that almost certainly means it is not as straightforward as it seems.
