The NFL issued the Seahawks a $5M fine for “being out of compliance with ownership requirements,” according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal. The league denied the team had been fined to WSJ. During his annual address at the Super Bowl on Monday, commissioner Roger Goodell said the report of the fine is “not true.” Jason Hunke, the spokesperson for Vulcan, the umbrella organization that oversees late Seahawks owner Paul Allen’s sports assets, didn’t comment on the fine. NFL rules state that an “individual — not an entity such as a trust — must be the controlling owner of a franchise.” However, the Seahawks have “enjoyed an extended grace period owing to an esoteric legal quirk,” as the 1997 law that funded the team’s stadium came with a provision that stated if the team were sold within a certain period, the state of Washington would receive 10%. That expired in 2024. The NFL had “initially shown some understanding,” but “patience among other owners and NFL brass had run out well before this season’s Super Bowl run.” Sources said that Seahawks chair Jody Allen has “pushed back against the NFL’s reminders that she was supposed to sell the franchise.” Hunke said that the team “isn’t for sale,” but reiterated previous comments that it “would be eventually in accordance with Paul Allen’s wishes.” Hunke: “Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/31).
In D.C., Mark Maske cited several people familiar with the views of NFL owners and the franchise sale process who “expressed skepticism” that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos would be a prospective buyer. Some cited Bezos’s “lack of connection to Seattle after his 2023 move to Miami.” Bezos also owns The Washington Post (WASHINGTON POST, 1/31).
In Seattle, Geoff Calkins writes that he does not expect reports of an imminent sale to be a distraction for Super Bowl week. Calkins: “Fans have every right to worry about it in the long-term. But in the short-term? Nah. Enjoy the Super Bowl. It’s all that matters right now” (SEATTLE TIMES, 1/30).
