Over the weekend, the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, were sold for an eye-watering $9.61 billion.
The trust of the late Paul Allen has agreed the record-breaking sale for an NFL organization just months after coach Mike Macdonald got his hands on the Lombardi trophy.
Jody Allen was given the reins at Lumen Field back in 2018 following the passing of her brother, Paul.
However, there were some interesting details in Allen’s ownership, which meant the Seahawks could not be sold before May 2, 2025 without 10 per cent of the sale proceeds going to the State of Washington.
Tech billionaire Vinod Khosla and his family have reached an agreement to purchase the Seahawks from the Allen family.
In a totally unique twist, the proceeds from the sale of the Super Bowl champions are expected to go to charity.
Why the Seattle Seahawks sale proceeds will be going to charity
The Seahawks’ sale has smashed the NFL record previously set by the Washington Commanders back in 2023.
Philanthropist Paul Allen made it clear that the sales of his Seahawks and NBA franchise the Portland Trail Blazers would see the money generated go to charity.
It is expected that the large majority of the funds will go to the Paul G. Allen Foundation, with the Trail Blazers previously sold earlier in the year for $4.25 billion.
The foundation’s website states: ‘Allen Family Philanthropies invests in communities across the Pacific Northwest and beyond to strengthen arts and culture, empower the next generation of change-makers, and support a global network of partners working to advance biodiversity and human well-being.’
Therefore, a total of almost $14 billion has headed to charity as a result of the sales of the two American franchises.
The Khosla family have extremely big boots to fill in Seattle following the two Super Bowl rings the Allens have delivered in the Pacific Northwest.
Naturally, there will be some fears over a new ownership potentially picking up the franchise and moving it to a new city.
Allen famously saved the Seahawks from departing Seattle, and Khosla would come under a lot of scrutiny if he were to do so.
Seattle has some of the loudest fans in the NFL, with a potential move to another city expected to cause a real stir.
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