The NFL has seen Josh Harris’ proposal to purchase the Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion, and the money is in place. For weeks, the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils co-owner has been the lone legitimate contender for the franchise. 

All that’s left is for his group to be officially tapped as the winning bidder by Commanders owner Dan Snyder. 

As Front Office Sports reported earlier this month, that was expected to occur before the start of the next NFL owners meeting on May 22, although there are signs a decision could hit sooner. 

A third limited partner in the Harris group has emerged, FOS confirmed. Mark Ein is the executive chairman of Virginia-based security firm Kastle Systems and the founder of two private equity firms. 

Ein, whose involvement was first reported by WUSA-9, joins billionaire Mitchell Rales and Magic Johnson in Harris’ effort — and a source told FOS to expect at least a dozen limited partners (the NFL’s cutoff is 24). 

The larger the group, the longer the league’s vetting process is expected to take. Rob Walton had only three limited partners when the Walmart heir agreed to purchase the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion, but it took 64 days for NFL owners to vote to approve Walton’s group. 

The fact that Harris shared the proposal isn’t expected to alter the timeline — a source said that the practice of sharing before an official announcement has been common for many years. 

The Tennessee Titans are one step closer to a new $2.1 billion domed stadium in Nashville.

At around midnight on Wednesday, the city council voted 25-11 to send the proposal to a final vote, according to The Tennessean. 

The project would be the most expensive public fund ever for an NFL stadium.

• About $1.26 billion in public money would go toward the new stadium — more than half the cost of the entire project.
• Loans from the NFL, sales, and team funds would cover the rest of the $840 million needed to complete the stadium.

The blueprint, released in October 2022, shows a 1.7-million-square-foot building with 60,000 seats and a retractable dome. The Titans and the city of Nashville want the stadium to be able to compete for top sporting events like Final Fours and Super Bowls.

The final vote will take place on April 25, during a meeting in which about four hours of debate could take place between supporters and opponents of the project. 

If approved, the stadium wouldn’t be slated to open until 2026 at the earliest.

The top pro sports leagues in the U.S. and several media partners have banded together to promote sensible sports betting ads.

The NFL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, WNBA, and NHL, as well as broadcasters NBCUniversal and FOX, have formed the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising — aimed at ensuring “a responsible approach to sports betting advertising.”

The sports betting industry posted a new February record this year by bringing in $636 million in revenue and $8.41 billion in handle. A record 50.4 million American adults — about one in five — reportedly bet on Super Bowl LVII, according to the American Gaming Association.

The newly formed coalition released a statement, noting that it is “critical to establish guardrails around how sports betting should be advertised to consumers” across the U.S. It also outlined its major principles:

• Sports betting should be marketed only to adults of legal betting age.
• Ads should not promote irresponsible or excessive gambling or degrade the consumer experience.
• Advertisements shouldn’t be misleading and be in good taste.
• Publishers should have appropriate internal reviews of sports betting advertising and review consumer complaints pertaining to sports betting ads.

“We applaud the responsible advertising commitments announced today by many of America’s biggest players in sports entertainment,” said AGA senior vice president Casey Clark, whose organization has already established its own Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering.