NFL owners approve Seahawks sale to Khosla group

Key Points:

• NFL owners unanimously approved the $9.612 billion sale of the Seattle Seahawks from the Paul Allen estate to a group led by Vinod Khosla, marking the highest-ever purchase price for an NFL team.
• The sale, announced by Commissioner Roger Goodell, comes shortly after the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory and requires Khosla to relinquish his stake in the San Francisco 49ers before the transaction closes.
• Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and venture capitalist, emphasized a long-term approach focused on maintaining the team's winning streak and learning from existing management and other owners.
• The Khosla family, including Vinod’s wife Neeru and son Neal—who will play a significant leadership role—will be the Seahawks' new controlling owners, continuing the legacy of stewardship established by Paul and Jody Allen.
• Paul Allen saved the Seahawks from relocation in 1997, and under the Allen family’s ownership, the team made four Super Bowl appearances, winning two; the estate’s directive is to use sale proceeds for philanthropy.