ATLANTA — For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Seahawks have a new ownership group leading the franchise.
NFL owners and designated team representatives gathered Wednesday at an Atlanta hotel to formally vote on the sale of the Seahawks from the Paul G. Allen Trust to the Khosla family.
The deal required approval from at least three-quarters of the league’s 32 teams, or 24 votes.
The NFL’s finance and ownership policy committees unanimously approved the transaction last week, clearing the way for what is expected to be a record purchase price for an NFL franchise: a reported $9.6 billion.
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The Khoslas have said little publicly since the sale agreement was announced in July. Jody Allen and the Paul G. Allen Trust put the team on the market shortly after Seattle’s Super Bowl championship parade.
Paul Allen bought the franchise in 1997 from Ken Behring, who had attempted to move the team to Los Angeles. Allen’s ownership helped usher in the construction of Lumen Field and the most successful era in Seahawks history.
Vinod Khosla is a billionaire venture capitalist, a founder of Sun Microsystems and a minority investor in the San Francisco 49ers. The NFL has said his wife, Neeru Khosla, will serve as the team’s controlling owner, while their son, Neal, is expected to play a significant role in running the franchise.
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The owners’ meeting is expected to begin around midday, with a vote likely later Wednesday afternoon Pacific time. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is scheduled to meet with reporters afterward, and a member of the Khosla family is also expected to speak publicly for the first time since the deal was announced.
It remains unclear how much the family will reveal about its immediate plans for the franchise, including Lumen Field, the Virginia Mason Athletic Center and the long-running debate over natural grass versus FieldTurf.
But once the vote is complete, one of the NFL’s most stable ownership eras will officially come to an end, and the Seahawks will enter a new chapter with the Khosla family at the top of the perch.