The Seahawks’ transfer of ownership is nearly complete. In a unanimous vote, all 32 owners approved the sale of the Seattle Seahawks from the Estate of Paul G. Allen to the Khosla family, represented by Vinod Khosla, his wife Neeru Khosla, their daughter Nina Khosla, and their son Neal Khosla. The sale was approved for $9.6 billion.
This was approved at the special meeting of NFL Owners in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s a great honor to be here,” Vinod Khosla said. “I do want to start by thanking Jody Allen and the Allen Trust for trusting us with this franchise. Roger has been incredibly helpful, and the NFL staff has been incredibly helpful in getting here. As Roger said, it’s pretty simple when the team is functioning as well as it is today. How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl?
So, we are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen Trust. Having been to Lumen Field and watching the 12s everywhere, I do want to thank them for their passion and fervor, and the community in Seattle is incredibly valuable, so we hope to engage a lot more with the community also.”
The remaining steps in the sale are the administrative and final closing steps, which are expected to be finalized shortly.
Mr. Khosla said all the right words, which many Seahawks fans will take as a sign of optimism.
“The task ahead is actually pretty simple—keep the winning streak alive, get another Super Bowl.” Vinod Khosla said. “That’s simple. In general, our approach will be long-term focused; that’s our inclination always. So, keep winning, take a long-term approach, and learn a lot,’ said Mr. Khosla. We don’t know enough, and the other owners have been incredibly welcoming and willing to teach us, so we’ll learn a lot. We’ll learn from management and see what they are recommending. We’ll be in learning mode for quite some time.”
The words of caution and learning indicate that Khosla is aware of the Seahawks’ past and current culture, as well as their rich history of caring, compassionate owners. From the Nordstroms to the Jody Allen-led Paul G. Estate Foundation, previous owners have always viewed ownership as stewardship of a community property. A major concern among the fan base has been the state of Lumen Field and any potential renovations or a lease vacation.
PLAYERS ON BOARD
Not that they would not be on board. Several Seahawks players were asked about the vote, which occurred while they were in a meeting and preparing for practice.
THE BIG TAKE
The next step is a mere formality. The Kholsa family has a history with football, having held a minority stake in the 49ers. This experience gives them a unique perspective on football ownership to some degree, but, more importantly, they understand the fan experience, having been season-ticket holders. These unique experiences will bode well for the Seahawks fan base and players. The Kholsa family will no doubt make changes, but they will be long-term and will happen later rather than sooner.
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