Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
Getty
The Seattle Seahawks are getting a strong backlash to a controversial franchise announcement made by the team.
It was an expected announcement, but it still hit like a ton of bricks when the Seattle Seahawks announced on Wednesday, February 18, that the team was starting the process of being sold. The news came just two weeks after the Paul Allen estate publicly issued a statement saying the team wasn’t for sale.
“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” a spokesman for the estate said on January 30, according to CBS News, going against reports that the team was for sale. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”
The Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, of course, were owned by the estate of Paul G. Allen, as the ex-owner of both franchises died of cancer in 2018. His sister, Jody, has controlled both teams in the years following his passing.
Now, after this announcement, some Seattle Seahawks followers aren’t happy. They’re voicing their opinions, too, and it’s not pretty.
Seattle Seahawks Get Roasted on Team Announcement and Franchise Sale
“So they lied a few weeks ago?” one follower asked. “But what about the statement you released pre-Super Bowl?” another said.
“ESPN reported this was happening. The Seahawks said it wasn’t. That was maybe three weeks ago,” one follower pointed out.
When championship parade just turned into a bidding war real quick,” another said.
Even though the Seahawks announcement wasn’t totally out of the blue, and it’s understandable, it was a bad look that just a few weeks prior, the spokesperson for the estate issued a statement saying, “the team is not for sale.” So, it’s hard not to empathize with these followers and see their point of view.
Seattle Seahawks Make It Official
As for the team’s official statement, they shared online, “The Estate of Paul G. Allen today announced it has commenced a formal sale process for the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise, consistent with Allen’s directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all Estate proceeds to philanthropy.”
“The Estate has selected investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins to lead the sale process,” the statement continued, “which is estimated to continue through the 2026 off-season. NFL owners must then ratify a final purchase agreement.”
After the Seahawks took to social media to share the news, followers were quick to comment, and two names that keep being mentioned were Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. “Elon Musk, where are you?” one follower asked. Another tagged Musk on X and said, “please,” with three exclamation marks.
Another tagged Musk on X and asked, “Please help us keep the Seahawks in Seattle. We could use an adult at our table here in the great PNW. Just think of all the fun we could have together.”
“Jeff Bezos drives up. Smh,” another said. “Jeff Bezos or Steve Ballmer should buy the Seattle Seahawks,” another said.