Dan Snyder to sell Washington Commanders to Jewish billionaire Josh Harris for record $6 billion
Harris, who owns numerous other professional sports teams, has supported philanthropic efforts in Israel

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder, left, is reportedly selling his NFL franchise to Josh Harris, right. (Getty/Wikimedia Commons)
(JTA) — Dan Snyder, the Jewish owner of the Washington Commanders football team who is under multiple investigations over sexual harassment and toxic workplace culture allegations, has agreed in principle to sell his NFL franchise to a group led by Jewish billionaire Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion.
Snyder and his wife and co-owner Tanya Snyder had announced in November that they would explore a possible sale, as investigations from Congress and the NFL remain underway. There are also allegations of financial misconduct.
Snyder has been under considerable scrutiny since July 2020, when a Washington Post investigation uncovered a series of allegations from former team employees, including the use of “Jewish slurs” by a high-ranking team executive.
Last summer, Snyder, who is a member of the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, asked to postpone a scheduled deposition in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform because of a trip to Israel to observe the anniversary of his mother’s death.
Harris, whose net worth is estimated at $6 billion, is a co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, which manages over $500 billion in assets globally. Harris is also a co-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, and a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a general partner of the Crystal Palace Premier League soccer club in Great Britain.
Harris has supported charitable efforts in Israel, including a project that focused on integrating Ethiopian immigrants to Israel through sports, and a more recent effort to combat socioeconomic inequality in Israel through youth sports in underprivileged areas.
In addition to Harris, the investment group buying the Commanders includes Jewish businessman Mitchell Rales, whose parents are the namesakes of the Ruth & Normal Rales Jewish Family Services in Boca Raton, Florida. NBA legend Magic Johnson, who is part of the ownership groups of the MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, is also involved.
Snyder purchased the Commanders in 1999 for $800 million. The $6 billion price tag would far surpass the previous record of $4.65 billion, which was set last year with the sale of the Denver Broncos. The sale requires approval by the NFL’s finance committee and at least three-fourths of the league’s 32 owners, who are scheduled to meet next month.
The Commanders sale comes months after another Jewish billionaire, Mat Ishbia, purchased the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury from another embattled Jewish owner, Robert Sarver.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
- 2
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 3
News School Israel trip turns ‘terrifying’ for LA students attacked by Israeli teens
- 4
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Halal restaurant opening in Congress is like ‘Muslim conquest of Jerusalem,’ says GOP congressman
-
Fast Forward Germany formally classifies far-right AfD party as extremist, in blow to Nazi-linked populist movement
-
Fast Forward Trump taps shock jock Sid Rosenberg and a Haredi newspaper publisher for Holocaust Memorial Council
-
Music Jill Sobule was as much a Jewish icon as a queer one
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.