By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – The NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and NFL’s Seattle Seahawks will not be put up for sale anytime soon, owner Jody Allen said on Tuesday.
Jody Allen took control of both franchises after her brother Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, died in 2018, leading to speculation that she would put the teams up for sale.
“As chair of both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks, my long-term focus is building championship teams that our communities are proud of,” Allen said in a statement.
“Like my brother Paul, I trust and expect our leaders and coaches to build winning teams that deliver results on and off the court and field.
“As we’ve stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and there are no sales discussions happening.”
Allen added that she will eventually direct her brother’s wealth to philanthropic causes – as he said he wanted – but added that it could take 10 to 20 years to wind down the estate given its size and complexity.
“There is no pre-ordained timeline by which the teams must be sold,” she said.
“Until then my focus – and that of our teams – is on winning.”
The Blazers, who last won a championship in 1977, were considered the more likely of the two franchises to be sold and potentially moved out of the Pacific Northwest city, leading to anxiety among the team’s loyal fanbase.
The equally beloved Seahawks’ lone Super Bowl victory came in 2014.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis)
