Former UFC owner looking to purchase NFL team
Former UFC owner Frank Fertitta is interested in buying the Carolina Panthers, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported Wednesday.
Former UFC magnate Frank Fertitta heads one of the groups pushing to purchase the Panthers. Would have to divest casino holdings
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 14, 2018
One of the conditions of owning an NFL team is you can’t have an ownership stake in a casino. Fertitta is currently the CEO of Station Casinos, so he would have to divest his interest in that company before making a bid on the Panthers.
Jerry Richardson, the current and founding owner of the Panthers, announced in December that he was selling the team. This came after explosive allegations that Richardson sexually harassed some employees.
Fertitta, along with his brother Lorenzo, purchased the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2001 for $2 million. They sold it in 2016 for a whopping $4.2 billion.
Well look at what we have here…
It’s always been the Fertitta brothers’ dream to own an NFL team. Hot pursuit now. https://t.co/uNWQqwL9nc— Mike Chiappetta MMA (@MikeChiappetta) February 14, 2018
This is not the first time Fertitta has expressed interest in buying an NFL team.
Back in 2016, when he and his brother were looking to sell the UFC, Fertitta reportedly had an interest in buying a stake in the Raiders if the team moved to Las Vegas.
If Fertittas sell UFC, wouldn't be surprised to see them try to buy piece of Raiders if team is headed to Las Vegas.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 10, 2016
While the Raiders are indeed moving to Vegas in 2020, they remain the property of principal owner Mark Davis, son of longtime owner Al Davis.
Fertitta is a cousin of Tilman Fertitta, who bought the Houston Rockets in 2017 for $2.2 billion from Leslie Alexander.
The list of people rumored to be interested in buying the Panthers is long, including P. Diddy, Steph Curry, Jon Bon Jovi, Joe Gibbs, Jeff Bezos and Mark Cuban, to name just a few.
However, the list of serious candidates reportedly is now down to six.
“I think that it has been very clear from those that we have spoken to that there are two local groups and the other four are outside the state of North Carolina,” Charlotte City Councilman James Mitchell said before the Super Bowl, according to WSOC-TV in Charlotte.
The NFL has expressed a desire to have the team remain in Charlotte and to have a minority partner as a member of the ownership group.
The league would like to have a new Panthers owner in place before the NFL draft on April 26.
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