MINNEAPOLIS — NFL owners are eager to finalize the agreement for Josh Harris and his partners to purchase the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion. But this isn't Harris' first NFL exposure.
In 2020, Harris bought a stake of less than 5%, worth approximately $140 million, in the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to an NFL spokesperson, Harris is selling his share of the Steelers and is in the middle of a new transaction.
The majority owner of the Steelers, Art Rooney II, was at the NFL meetings in Minneapolis Monday and Tuesday and spoke highly of Harris and his potential future as the Commanders majority owner.
"Josh is a good man" Rooney said. "I think he will be a good owner in the league. He has been a good partner with the Steelers."
The two-day meeting did not feature a vote on the recently agreed upon deal to sell the Commanders to Harris, which needs approval from at least 24 of the 32 NFL owners.
"We have to let the process unfold," Rooney said. "We still have a little way to go, but it looks like we are making progress."
According to a source, the owners are expected to finalize a future date at which they would vote to approve or deny the sale. Several of the owners WUSA9 spoke to Monday said they would look to set up a special meeting sometime after July 4. Colts owner Jim Irsay, who's a member of the NFL's finance committee, said it "would be a goal" to get the Commanders sale finalized before the start of the season "but there's work to be done."
The Steelers are not on the Commanders schedule this upcoming season, but Rooney said it would be "fun to have a Steelers - Commanders game when he [Josh Harris] gets in there."
Harris, along with partner David Blitzer, also owns the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils.
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