Actor Matthew McConaughey is exploring the possibility of joining or forming an investment group to bid on the Washington Commanders, a person familiar with the situation said Monday.
The New York Post, which first reported McConaughey’s interest in the Commanders, linked him to the prospective investment group that might be formed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and music mogul Jay-Z.
Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, is interested in potentially bidding on the team, a person familiar with the situation said last week. It is possible but not certain that a bid by Bezos would include Jay-Z as an investor, according to that person.
“I don’t know if they will partner on it,” that person said last week, adding that each is “interested.”
Amazon carries the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” package. Bezos has been mentioned as a potential owner of other NFL franchises, including the Seattle Seahawks.
Mat Ishbia, president and chief executive of United Wholesale Mortgage and previously a bidder for the Denver Broncos, said Friday that he plans to consider a bid for the Commanders.
“The NFL is a great league and Washington is one of the elite franchises,” Ishbia said in a statement issued to The Post through a spokesperson. “I am interested in exploring this opportunity further in the very near future.”
Media entrepreneur Byron Allen, another former Broncos bidder, also is preparing a bid for the Commanders, a person with knowledge of the situation said last week. If successful, Allen would become the NFL’s first Black principal team owner.
The Commanders said last week that owner Daniel Snyder had hired an investment bank to “consider potential transactions” related to the franchise. The Commanders did not specify whether he and his wife, Tanya, the team’s co-CEO, are considering the sale of the entire franchise or a minority share.
“We are exploring all options,” a Commanders spokesperson said last week.