A new report links Amazon founder and billionaire mogul Jeff Bezos to the firm handling the sale of minority shares in the Washington Football Team.
Front Office Sports reported Monday that Bezos’ personal attorney has spoken with Moag & Co., a Baltimore-based banking group involved in the effort to sell the minority stake.
The outlet reported Bezos is interested in purchasing an NFL team and “Washington could be on his private wish list.”
The outlet made the discovery after digging through court documents related to Washington owner Dan Snyder’s defamation lawsuit against Indian media company MEA WorldWide. The documents, according to the website, reveal the communication between the lawyer and the banking firm.
Snyder filed the lawsuit, which was filed in India, in August after MEA WorldWide published a slew of articles in July that included linking the owner to sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. Snyder’s lawyers insist the information was false and was part of a coordinated effort to damage Snyder’s reputation.
In the latest filing, Snyder’s lawyers allege that John Moag had “advanced knowledge” of “corrupt disinformation campaign by, among other things, spreading malicious lies,” according to Front Office Sports. Moag has denied the accusations.
Snyder’s lawyers cited a text message from Moag on July 3 that said: “Keep an eye on the Redskins, it’s getting very interesting.” The corresponding person, who wasn’t identified in the documents, wrote that he hoped Snyder would sell the team.
July 3 was when Washington announced it would undergo a formal review of the “Redskins,” the team’s former name.
Washington’s minority partners — Fred Smith, Robert Rothman and Dwight Schar — hired Moag’s firm to lead a sale of their shares, revealed to be worth 40% of the franchise. The three and Snyder have also had their own legal dispute in a federal court in Maryland, though a judge ruled in late December that the case would revert back to the NFL’s private arbitration.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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