NFL Owners Delay Private Equity Vote to Allow More Deal Talks

NFL team owners punted — for now — on allowing private equity firms to buy stakes in teams.

This week owners met in Nashville and discussed changing rules to let private equity firms invest. But a vote was delayed because some franchises want to take a more cautious approach, according to people familiar with the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the briefings.

One reason for the delay is that teams are in various stages of talks with private equity firms. Some franchises have been lining up potential deals, while others have been waiting to engage until new rules are adopted, and that’s created a divide, the people said.

“We’re making progress,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who expects a vote on private equity ownership by the end of this year, said in an interview. Owners agree with the “direction we’re going.”

Letting in private equity, a path already taken by other professional leagues such as the NBA, could be voted on and approved later this year at the two remaining owners meetings. If the league and team owners adopt the change, it might help them fund big projects, such as stadiums. It could also make it easier for owners to cash out after team valuations have surged.