NFL commissioner Roger Goodell indicated the league will not be able to open its doorways to public possession.
“We haven’t made the move to as other leagues have to any kind of public investment,” Goodell stated Thursday on CNBC, through Mike Florio of NBC Sports. “It’s something we’ll contemplate at some point in time, but we really like our basic model now where we have private ownership.”
Goodell’s feedback are vital as a result of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV Golf, reportedly has curiosity in diving in to different sports activities.
“NFL rules prohibit foreign investment in franchises. But rules were made to be disregarded when sufficiently profitable to do so,” wrote Florio. “So, yes, the Public Investment Fund (the formal name of the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia) can get into the NFL if it wants.”
Along with the LIV-PGA merger in June, the sports activities footprint of the PIF — valued at $650 billion — is rising. David Rumsey of Front Office Sports reported its investments embrace a majority possession of Newcastle United, a 16.7 p.c stake in the Aston Martin F1 group and the Saudi Pro League ($75M contract for Cristiano Ronaldo).
Even although the PIF holds a formidable portfolio, the NFL could also be hesitant to revise its guidelines to permit it to purchase in.
The Human Rights Watch lately stated Saudi Arabia “is attempting to sportswash” its latest human rights file by investing in quite a few properties.
Since accepting cash from the PIF may trigger controversy, that may very well be why the NFL is sticking to its format. Yet, sooner or later, the subject may pop up for the league once more.
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