🏈 Seahawks sold to 49ers fan!?

Seahawks Sold to New Owner for $9.6 Billion

Last week, reports started surfacing that two front-runners had emerged in the battle to buy our beloved Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks. Then over the weekend, news broke that the Paul Allen Estate had actually entered an agreement with one of those buyers, an ownership group led by the Khosla family, including Vinod Khosla.

• Who is Vinod Khosla? He's a co-founder of tech company, Sun Microsystems. His net worth is estimated to be over $15 billion dollars. He's already made headlines this year for proposing the idea that workers replaced by AI shouldn't have to pay income taxes, and for feuding with Elon Musk.
• The most interesting thing about him: Well, for NFL fans anyway, is that last year he bought a minority share in the San Francisco 49ers, one of the Seahawks' main rivals. The NFL has strict rules prohibiting individuals from holding ownership in two competing franchises, so he'll have to part ways with the Niners in order to finalize the sale. However the family does seem to be lifelong 49ers fans according to Vinod's son, Neal. [ESPN]
• Price tag sets a new record: The team is reportedly selling for over $9.6 billion dollars, setting a new record that was previously held by the Washington Commanders when they sold for $6 billion in 2023. [Seattle Times]
• Where does the money go? Terms of the transaction have not yet been disclosed, but according to a tweet from Khosla, money from the sale will go to a non-profit as outlined in the directive left by Paul Allen. He insisted that his assets eventually be sold and that all the proceeds go to charity.
• When will we know for sure? The sale remains subject to NFL approval, which could take months. It's expected that they'll finalize the deal before next season's first Seahawks home game on September 9. [Seahawks]

🧑🏻‍⚖️ Court hearings begin for children: The Trump administration says it is addressing a backlog of immigration cases by creating “mega masters” hearings – one judge hearing hundreds of cases in a single day. Last week, we covered these hearings beginning for adults in Seattle. Now, they have also started for children. One judge saw 106 child cases on Tuesday. More than 30 kids didn’t show and were ordered to be deported. [KUOW]

🏨 Hotel strike continues: Embassy Suites employees’ strike has entered its fourth week, making it the longest hotel strike in Seattle history. The hotel is near Lumen Field and workers started striking ahead of the World Cup games — workers continue to strike for better pay, year-round healthcare, and to be notified if ICE or DHS is on the property. An Embassy Suites spokesperson told KING5 the company is “committed to negotiating in good faith.” [KING5]

🧑‍⚖️ Inspectors can enter ICE center: A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma must allow state inspectors in. The center, run by GEO Group, has repeatedly denied entry to Department of Health inspectors. GEO Group has two weeks to appeal. [Washington State Standard]