Washington Commanders

Magic Johnson may soon be adding the title of NFL owner to his legacy ... the NBA icon is part of a group that just submitted an offer to buy the Washington Commanders that meets Dan Snyder's asking price.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Lakers Hall of Famer, alongside 76ers owner Josh Harris and billionaire Mitchell Rales, officially submitted a $6 billion bid to buy the franchise on Tuesday.

The development is substantial ... because Snyder -- who revealed in late 2022 that he was exploring selling the Commanders -- had been reportedly seeking $6 billion for his club ... which could mean a sale to the Johnson/Harris/Rales group is now imminent.

The move would spell bad news for Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z ... as the two titans had big interest in buying the Commanders, even grabbing dinner in L.A. back in November to formulate a potential purchase plan.

Others with interest in buying the Washington franchise reportedly included Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.

If the Commanders do sell ... the $6 billion deal would break the previous record sale for an NFL franchise set last summer, when billionaire Rob Walton purchased the Denver Broncos for $4.65 bil.

LeSean McCoy believes Eric Bieniemy's race is "absolutely not" the reason the NFL offensive coordinator is being passed over repeatedly for head coaching jobs ... explaining Monday he thinks, simply, the guy just isn't good enough for the gigs.

The former star running back -- who played under Bieniemy for one season in Kansas City in 2019 -- laid out his argument on FS1's "Speak" ... saying during his time with the coach, he didn't see much that would suggest he could be a successful head man.

Shady said while he was in K.C., Andy Reid ran the offense in almost every single way. He then claimed Bieniemy had "nothing to do with the pass game at all."

"What's his value?" McCoy asked of Bieniemy. "What makes him a good coordinator?"

Of course, many have believed the exact opposite of Shady -- saying Bieniemy did more than enough in his five years as Patrick Mahomes' offensive coordinator to prove he deserves an HC role. Some have insisted he's only been passed over because he's Black.

But, Shady shot that notion down after his co-host Emmanuel Acho asked about it on the show.

"People want to win," McCoy said. "The color thing, I get it. There should be more Black coaches. I definitely believe that ... They want to win. It has nothing to do with the color barrier at all."

It didn't take long for former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles to rush in to defend Bieniemy, saying on Twitter he vehemently disagreed with McCoy.

"I learned so many thing for EB and I still keep in contact with him," Charlies said in a tweet, "a great husband and father. He deserves to be a head coach."

Even though McCoy was critical of Bieniemy, who just left Kansas City this month for a new role as the Commanders' offensive coordinator, he did say he's still rooting for his former coach.

Former Washington star, LaVar Arrington believes longtime NFL owner Dan Snyder will sell the Commanders sooner rather than later ... telling TMZ Sports a fresh start for the franchise is "certainly what's needed."

We spoke to LaVar about the future of the Commanders just days after Synder listed his Potomac home on the market for $49 million ... and he thinks the billionaire's movement on the real estate market means he's looking to ditch the team.

"I would assume that means he's not staying," LaVar said.

The timing of Snyder listing his Maryland home for sale is pretty interesting ... considering the team announced in November he was exploring a sale of the franchise.

Despite a lack of success on the field, Forbes reports the Commanders franchise is valued at $5.6 billion ... and massive names like Jay-Z and Jeff Bezos are interested in buying the team.

So, we asked Arrington who he wants to own the team if Snyder sells, and the former linebacker told us, simply put -- he wants someone who cares about the people within the organization.

"If you're that person, and you can afford that price tag, then I hope and I pray that you're able to get them."

Of course, many have called for Snyder to sell the team for years ... after the franchise was the center of multiple scandals, including workplace misconduct and creating a "toxic" culture.

Dan Snyder's football team is up for sale -- and now, so is his massive pad in Maryland ... TMZ Sports has confirmed he's listing his huge D.C.-area property on Monday.

Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby's International Realty tells us the Potomac home will officially go on sale with a price tag of $49 MILLION. It'd be, according to multiple reports, the largest sale of a property ever in the area if it gets the asking price.

The place is amazing ... it features 30,000 square feet, five bedrooms and 13.5 bathrooms. It's also got a basketball court, a theatre, a wine cellar, a library, a spa, and a gym ... and sits just feet away from a river.

The Washington Business Journal reports Snyder originally bought the place in 2000 -- and expanded on it in the ensuing years. According to the outlet, though, he hasn't lived in the home for a while.

The timing of the listing is obviously interesting -- Snyder announced back in November he was exploring a sale of his beloved Commanders team as well ... and both Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z had expressed big interest in putting in a bid for the franchise.

A 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to attempted robbery in the shooting of Brian Robinson Jr., the Commanders running back who was shot twice while two teens -- both armed with handguns -- tried to steal his sports car last summer.

The teenager, whose name has not been released, appeared in a D.C. Superior courtroom this week ... the day before he was scheduled to go to trial on the charge, according to The Washington Post.

23-year-old Robinson, a rookie, was shot in his knee and hip on August 28 while two teens attempted to steal his Hellcat sports car.

Authorities said Robinson was approached while leaving a store by the two teens who wanted the vehicle. Brian fled, trying to get to safety, but the 17-year-old chased, and the two wrestled for the teen's gun. At this time, the 15-year-old shot BR twice, according to officials.

In addition to the attempted robbery charge, the teen also pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal October 3 shooting of a 15-year-old boy, Andre Robertson.

Last week, the 17-year-old accomplice pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a weapon without a license, and will be locked up until his 20th birthday.

As for the 15-year-old's sentence, that'll be determined by a judge the second week of March. He could be held in D.C.'s juvenile hall until his 21st birthday.

Hope ya got some Kleenex nearby ... because the Commanders captured Jeremy Reaves' reaction to earning his first-ever Pro Bowl selection on video on Wednesday -- and it was emotional as hell.

The NFL announced its All-Star rosters on hump day ... and while the Commanders got four total nods, none was more meaningful than Reaves'.

The 26-year-old has been in the league for five years, but up until this season, he had played sparingly. In fact, he had struggled to actually even make Washington's gameday rosters in his first four seasons in the league.

But, Reaves made the opening day lineup this year ... and has balled out on special teams since -- and when he was rewarded for his play with the honor on Wednesday, he broke down in tears.

Check out the video the Commanders posted ... after head coach Ron Rivera told him he was in -- Reaves lost it.

Reaves, whose mother tragically died last year, cried for several seconds -- as Rivera told him over and over again that he had absolutely earned it all.

"I know your mom would be proud," Rivera said.

Reaves' teammate and fellow 2022 Pro Bowler Tress Way was so fired up over the news ... he busted into the meeting to give JR a big hug.

"I love you big guy," Reaves said to Way as they embraced.

"Love you too dude," Way responded.

The Washington Commanders were allegedly behind the release of troubling old emails that resulted in Jon Gruden's firing as Las Vegas Raiders head coach, a new House Oversight and Reform Committee report claims.

The 79-page report -- titled "How the NFL and the Washington Commanders Covered Up Decades of Sexual Misconduct" -- was released on Thursday, more than a year after launching the investigation -- and it's ugly for Dan Snyder, with the committee concluding he "permitted and participated in" the horrific workplace culture.

In fact, the committee says Snyder attempted to shift blame onto others and away from himself, and even provided a host of damaging emails sent and/or received by former team president Bruce Allen to the House Oversight Committee ... the day before Allen was set to testify.

Those emails contained the profane and arguably racist messages sent by Jon Gruden years earlier ... which were published in the Wall Street Journal. Gruden, the Raiders head coach at the time, was forced to step down from his job as a result of the scandal.

The report says Allen asked a member of the NFL's legal team why they'd released the emails to the paper, to which the attorney responded ... "We didn’t do it at the league office. It came out of their side."

Of course, the emails from about a decade ago, which contained homophobic language and racial tropes, were made public by The Journal in October 2021 ... and the Super Bowl-winning coach stepped down shortly after. He has not worked as a coach since.

In addition to the revelation about the emails, the Committee report paints a damning picture of an organization rife with workplace misconduct, much of it originating from the very top of the Commanders.

Last month, Snyder announced he'd hired a bank to investigate potential interest in a sale for the Commanders.

As we reported, Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z, both interested in acquiring the team, recently had a secret dinner meeting in Los Angeles to discuss a potential partnership.

Brian Robinson knows the perils of gun violence better than almost anyone, and he wants to put a spotlight on the senseless killing ... the Commanders star will rock a sweet pair of custom cleats, with a very important message, this week against the Giants.

The 23-year-old running back, who was shot multiple times in August, copped his new spikes for the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" -- an initiative where players bring awareness to organizations and nonprofits during Week 13.

TMZ Sports has learned Robinson reached out to artist Joe Castro to shine a light on the incident where he was shot twice during an attempted robbery.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested for his alleged role in the shooting.

Castro -- whose client list includes NFL stars like Jaire Alexander and DeSean Jackson -- tells us he and Robinson decided to go with a gun control theme.

The tan and orange Nike spikes feature two guns held up in the air with text reading "End Gun Violence".

Castro says it took 2 hours to design ... and he actually made two pairs. One for filming and one for the Commanders-Giants game.

Washington Commanders star Brian Robinson's big hat resulted in some BIG sales for the company behind the massive lid ... 'cause TMZ Sports is told their business saw a whopping 2,000% increase in orders!!

Robinson's hat quickly went viral after Sunday's 19-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons ... and the running back hilariously told reporters -- "If you want a big hat, let me know."

Noggin Boss -- the company that sells big hats starting at $75 -- tells us the impact was immediate ... with Monday being one of the biggest days in the brand's history.

As it turns out, NB says a bunch of major television networks hit them up to get Noggins for their on-air talent following Robinson's appearance ... but ESPN's Scott Van Pelt was one of the lucky ones who got one "years ago" -- and he wore it on "SportsCenter" Monday night!!

If the look seems familiar, Noggin Boss co-founders Gabe Cooper and Sean Starner appeared on "Shark Tank" earlier this year. The guys were seeking $50k for 25% of the company ... and ended up sealing the deal with Daymond John for 30%!!

Robinson's hat -- customized with the Commanders' logo -- was a gift from a family friend ... and the dude almost certainly started a trend in the sports world, with teams even photoshopping big hats onto their players.

Sean Taylor's half brother saw no issues with the Commanders' memorial of the late Pro Bowler on Sunday ... telling TMZ Sports the whole thing was "an honor" -- and he's expecting more to be added to it as time goes by.

Washington officially unveiled the Taylor tribute at FedEx Field on the 15th anniversary of the free safety's tragic death just before the team kicked off its game against the Falcons.

Fans poured out in droves to see it ... but many found it underwhelming -- noting it was simply a wire mannequin covered in mismatched gear.

But, when we got Jamal Johnson out at Reagan Airport in D.C. on Monday -- he told us it was all fine by him.

"It was greatly appreciated and an honor that his legacy lives on in D.C.," Johnson said ... adding, "I was at a loss for words."

Of the criticism, Johnson said "everybody is entitled to an opinion," but he noted he doesn't expect this to be the end of the Commanders' homages to Taylor.

"I don't feel like that's the finished process of it," Johnson said. "That's just a step."

Taylor was drafted by Washington in 2004, and went on to play four seasons in D.C. -- before he was tragically shot and killed in Miami.

Sean Taylor was honored by his old NFL team with a life-size memorial in his honor at their stadium -- but the big reveal left fans less than impressed ... and actually pretty pissed.

The Washington Commanders unveiled their Sean Taylor tribute Sunday at FedEx Field ... showing off a wire mannequin that was wearing ST's former number and vintage Washington uniform, from when he played with them back in the 2000s before he was tragically killed.

While it might look somewhat cool at first glance ... the more folks took it in, the more angry they became -- because many felt this was a shoddy commemoration of the late free safety, especially when you consider the attention to detail ... or lack thereof.

For starters, the gear's all mismatched -- a Nike jersey, Reebok pants and Adidas cleats (soccer cleats?). The fact the org couldn't even get all the same branding together here speaks volumes in the minds of football fans who were very much looking forward to this.

If you watch the video of the moment the drape was pulled off ... you can actually see Sean's family looking on toward the right side, and in our eyes -- they seem underwhelmed.

There's also the material that the mannequin itself is made of ... hollow wire, which a lot of folks also see as big time disrespect. Plus, there's not even face mask tape on the helmet, which was Sean's signature look. Frankly, many are saying this looks thrown together.

Tina Knowles tells TMZ Sports Jay-Z would crush it as an NFL owner ... adding to the ever-growing list of celebs who think the rapper has a real shot at success if Daniel Snyder would sell his Commanders.

We got Beyoncé's mom out at LAX earlier this month just after her son-in-law and Jeff Bezos had a secret meeting to discuss a potential bid for the Washington franchise.

And, while she didn't have any inside information for us regarding the meeting or a possible sale -- she did say she was confident her son-in-law would do a great job if Snyder opted to sell him the team.

"I have no doubt that anything that they put their minds to, they can do it well," she said.

Knowles is now the third celeb to share that opinion with us ... Mark Cuban and Shannon Sharpe both said in November that they, too, believed Jay-Z would be a great NFL honcho.

In fact, Sharpe said he thinks it'd be huge for the league as a whole -- not just the Commanders' org.

If Jay-Z can pull off a deal for the Commanders, Shannon Sharpe tells TMZ Sports it'd be HUGE for the NFL.

The Hall of Fame tight end broke it down for us at LAX earlier this month ... explaining having a guy like Hov in the Washington owner's box would do wonders for the league.

"It's a good look," Sharpe said. "It shows we're trying to diversify and we're trying to expand. And we're trying to do the right things."

It's unclear if Jay has formally put in an offer to Daniel Sndyer for the team -- but we do know he is interested in eventually submitting one with Jeff Bezos ... if the two haven't already.

The titans had a secret dinner in Los Angeles on Nov. 7 to discuss it all ... and it seems if Snyder is truly willing to part ways with the org., the duo wants it.

Sharpe told us he thinks it'd all be "great" -- adding that he hopes D.C. native Kevin Durant somehow finds a way to get involved too.

The Washington Commanders will pay tribute to the three UVA football players who were tragically gunned down on campus last weekend ... by putting three stickers on their helmets for their game on Sunday.

The team just announced the homage ... revealing decals with the numbers 1, 15 and 41 -- the jersey digits of D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler -- will be placed on the back of their players' headgear while the team attempts to get a win over the Houston Texans.

"Our hearts are with @UVAFootball and the UVA community affected by the tragedy," the team said in a tweet while unveiling the uniform honor.

The Commanders added the hashtags #UVAStrong and #FootballIsFamily.

Perry, Davis and Chandler were all killed on a bus on Sunday night after they had returned from a class field trip. Two others, including Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins, were injured in the shooting as well -- though they're both expected to survive.

Former UVA football player Juan Thornhill, a safety for the Chiefs, announced earlier this week he, too, will be paying tribute to the victims on NFL Sunday this weekend ... wearing a pair of custom cleats with homages to Perry, Davis and Chandler all over them.

They say the NFL is a copycat league, but Vikings defensive back Kris Boyd isn't trying to hear that ... especially when it comes to teams mimicking postgame celebrations.

Boyd unleashed on the Commanders and Taylor Heinicke ... after video surfaced of the QB iced out in chains, celebrating his team's stunning upset over the Eagles on MNF.

Kris' issue ... Heinicke's celebration was reminiscent of Kirk Cousins', when the Vikings signal-caller rocked a bunch of big chains, topless, on the plane after beating the Commanders (Taylor's team) in Week 9.

Cousins, typically a mild-mannered guy, was an entirely different person on the plane, and social media couldn't get enough.

Well, Boyd wasn't fond of Heinicke and the Commanders seemingly imitating them ... and he didn't hold back, calling out the team and player for seemingly copying his squad.

"Stop trynna f***ing be us…Lames…He couldn’t hold Kirk jockstrap!! Find your own trend!…Y’all shit don’t even look like y’all having fun enjoying it," 26-year-old Boyd tweeted.

Sheesh!!! 😲😲😲

Kris isn't apologizing for what he said, either, explaining ... "I go hard behind my team man….There is no other way around it. These guys are like my brothers. A huge family from all corners. And it’s nothing but major love!! Minnesota Vikings is my family and I don’t play when it come to us!! Point blank period!💜💛💜💛"

Unfortunately, the Vikings and Commanders already played each other ... but with Minnesota at 8-1 and Washington at 5-5, there's an ever-so-slight chance the two could meet in the playoffs.

And, if they do play ... Boyd has a prediction for how the game will go.

"Idgaf! We gone whoop both they ass they cross our path again!😤💜💛💜"

The Commanders will be in amazing hands if Daniel Snyder does end up selling the team to Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z ... so says Mark Cuban, who tells TMZ Sports the duo would be "great" NFL owners.

Snyder revealed earlier this month he has hired Bank of America to explore a potential sale of the Washington franchise ... and it didn't take long for Jay and Jeff to express interest in putting in a bid.

In fact, the duo had a secret dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to discuss it all ... breaking bread at a closed restaurant near the Sunset Strip for over two hours.

When we got Cuban -- arguably the most famous celeb owner in sports -- out in D.C. on Thursday ... he assured us the two titans would make for great honchos of the Commanders.

The Dallas Mavericks boss didn't elaborate further -- he had to jet quickly -- but he made it clear he's got full faith in the guys to turn the NFL org. around.