Reaction: What the Seahawks need in their next owner
After the Seattle Seahawks enjoyed nearly three decades of stability under the Allen family, Bump and Stacy discuss what the franchise needs in its next owner.
Watch: BREAKING: Seahawks Announce Sale Process A Of Team | Seattle Sports | 6 mins
After weeks of speculation, the Seattle Seahawks are now officially up for sale.
Seahawks officially being put up for sale by Paul Allen estate
The Paul G. Allen Estate announced Wednesday morning that it has begun a formal sales process for the franchise, which is fresh off winning its second Super Bowl just 10 days ago. It confirms a Jan. 30 ESPN report that the Seahawks would be put up for sale after the Super Bowl.
A sale of the Seahawks has been expected since Allen’s death in 2018. Allen, who bought the Seahawks in 1997, made it a directive for his trust to sell both the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, with proceeds to be donated to philanthropic efforts.
The franchise has been operating under chair Jody Allen, who took control as the trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust following her brother’s death.
What does the impending sale mean for the Seahawks’ future? Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost shared their immediate reactions on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy shortly after the news broke.
They emphasized that it’s important that the new owner continue to provide top-tier financial support, while also giving general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald the freedom to run the football operations.
“We knew this was coming,” Bumpus said. “And let’s get it to the right people. As long as John is still there, as long as Macdonald is still there and the football people are doing football things – let’s sell it to someone who’s invested in this city, who’s invested in this team and keep the party rolling.
“Let the football stuff be controlled by the football people. And I think Jody did a good job of that. And I think Paul did a good job of that before Jody. … Business-wise, get someone who’s been in the trenches or a group that knows how things are run. But when it comes to X’s and O’s and Jimmys and Joes, just sit back, relax and let them do their job.”
Rost echoed that sentiment.
“Paul Allen, and then Jody overseeing as chairwoman of the Allen estate, have been wonderful owners,” Rost said. “They’ve been really clear about their directives, but also hands off in a way that (Dallas Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones is not. You see bad owners around the NFL, and so the only reason that people have questions or concerns or anything is just wanting that consistency with ownership. Bad owners can hurt a franchise. The Seahawks have had good ownership.
“They’ve got a great situation here with their GM, with their head coach, with the culture that they have,” Rost added. “Don’t mess that up.”
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Comments
4 Comments
They need someone gullible enough to do business in the negative tax and investment environment of this state.
Paul’s dead, keep the team Jody.
Someone not afraid of being taxed to death. And then being taxed after death.