Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Thursday’s vote to approve Josh Harris’ purchase of the Washington Commanders will be a “hallmark day” for the NFL.
Jones spoke with reporters briefly as he arrived for the league’s special meeting in which the NFL will review and vote on Harris’ $6.05 billion deal to buy the Commanders from owner Dan Snyder. For the deal to become official, Harris must receive at least 24 of 32 votes.
“It’s going to be a great day for the NFL,” Jones said. “I’m excited.”
The meeting, held in suburban Minneapolis, was expected to begin at 2 p.m. and last for a few hours.
The longtime relationship between Jones and Snyder came under scrutiny this past season. In early October, a month before the Commanders announced Snyder was exploring a sale, the two owners met on the field pregame and posed for pictures in which the Commanders’ social media team captioned: “Friends and rivals for 24 years.”
But weeks later, ESPN reported that Snyder claimed to be in possession of “dirt” on Jones. ESPN reported that the Washington owner had lost the support of Jones, one of his most important allies among fellow NFL owners. Jones and Snyder, however, denied the reporting.
In May, Jones was highly complimentary of Harris and his group of partners, which include Maryland billionaire Mitchell Rales and NBA legend Magic Johnson among others.
“These are outstandingly qualified owners,” Jones said of the Harris group. “That always rules the day on getting it ruled and cleared with the NFL.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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