With discussions taking place over the potential sale of the Washington Commanders, a short list of finalists has emerged. And a D.C. sports radio pioneer is part of one of the groups in contention to take ownership from Dan Snyder.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Mitchell Rales and Josh Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils, have placed a bid. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta are also in the running.
Mitchell and his brother Steven Rales co-founded WTEM in 1992. The Team 980, as it’s now known, was Washington’s first all-sports radio station.
Rales is a native of Bethesda, Maryland, a D.C. suburb. He is a co-founder of Danaher Corporation, and his net worth is believed to be in the $5 billion-$6 billion range.
Snyder’s asking price is reported to have been $6 billion. It’s believed the bid Rales and Harris have put in is short of that $6 billion price tag, but could potentially get closer to that number with minority investors.
