Runners-Up Offered Seahawks Stake After Losing Out on Team
The deal is closing "very soon," a source says.
The Seahawks' owners, led by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla's family, are finalizing their investor group as they approach the completion of a $9.612 billion acquisition of the team from Paul G. Allen's estate. NFL team owners unanimously ratified the deal last week in Atlanta, following recommendations from the league's finance and ownership policy committees.
The deal is expected to close "very soon," with sources previously predicting a September closing date. The Seahawks will host the Patriots in their season-opening game on September 9, marking a rematch of the Super Bowl LX held in February 2021, which the Seahawks won 29-13. Khosla-led ownership might invite investors from the runner-up group, Aditya Mittal and Wyc Grousbeck, a source informed Front Office Sports.
Mittal is the CEO of steel and mining company ArcelorMittal and the son of the executive chairman of the company, Lakshmi Mittal, who recently acquired a minority stake in Liverpool. Grousbeck has been a minority owner of the Celtics and remains so after his family sold the team to Bill Chisholm in a $6 billion deal. Invitations for the Mittal-Grousbeck group to join the Khosla ownership group have been extended, but it remains unclear if any investors from the runner-up group have accepted.
Khosla, a cofounder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures, has an estimated net worth of $13.1 billion, according to Forbes. His wife Neeru Khosla will be the Seahawks' controlling owner, and their son Neal Khosla will have a significant leadership role. The 49ers' ownership will have the final say over any divestment of Neal Khosla's 49ers stake.
NFL ownership rules require the primary owner to hold at least a 30% stake, and the investment group can have no more than 25 members.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
