For many Washington Commanders fans, the new ownership is a chance to exhale the Dan Snyder era. Off the field, there has been one surprising headline after another as allegations of sexual harassment were raised and investigations conducted.
After years of headlines and accusations of behind the scenes harassment in the Dan Snyder era, the News4 I-Team found Josh Harris seems to bring something decidedly different, according to the I-Team’s research and those who’ve covered him and his teams.
Harris made his money as a founder of the private equity company Apollo Global Management. He’s since left Apollo.
Bloomberg says his nearly $8 billion net worth is enough to rank him as the world’s 298th richest billionaire.
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In Philadelphia, where he’s owned the 76ers NBA basketball team since 2011, locals say Harris is not considered much of a celebrity. He still lives in New York City and Miami and appears at Sixers games from time to time.
The I-Team did not find any records of complaints or lawsuits about his management style or treatment of employees, and that is a change worth reporting.
Harris is part of a bid to build a new arena for the Sixers in what is considered a transit-centered district in downtown Philadelphia. While that may be good news for Washingtonians hoping for a new privately funded, D.C.-based stadium, our colleagues at NBC Philadelphia say the news has been met there with protest and anger over the possible destruction of part of Philly’s Chinatown.
The group behind the Philadelphia stadium plan, which includes more than just Harris, argues their new arena would revitalize a struggling part of the city.
Harris is a prolific but not splashy political donor. Published reports and campaign finance watchdog Open Secrets report that Harris gives more to Republicans than Democrats, but not exclusively.
The most prominent political headline Harris attracted was early on in the Donald Trump presidency when the New York Times reported he was frequently consulted on infrastructure issues and possibly considered for a White House job. The Times also reported his firm, Apollo Global Management, gave Jared Kushner a loan of more than $180 million to refinance a skyscraper. The company told the Times Harris was not involved in the loan.
Personally, Harris has been married to his wife, Marjorie, for more than 25 years. They have five children.
Additionally, he owns most of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and part of a Premier League English football club in London. He’s been a figure in the big leagues for a long time, and it does not appear off the field scandal is part of his history in any of those places.
Commanders fans, however, may not be done hearing about those in the Snyder era. Investigations by private attorneys and the NFL are still ongoing. Just hours before the finalized deal was announced, published reports said Snyder was still trying to keep some of those reports from being made public.
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