The Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks will eventually fall under new ownership. Amid recent reports of billion-dollar offers for the franchises controlled by her late brother's trust, though, Jody Allen has pushed back the timeline on their expected sales.
The chair of the Blazers and Seahawks issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that neither team is for sale, and that they may not change hands for many years to come. Portland and Seattle posted Allen's announcement on their social media accounts.
In early June, reports emerged that Nike founder Phil Knight—a Portland native and University of Oregon graduate—teamed with Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky to make a $2 billion offer to purchase the Blazers. Though the team quickly acknowledged interest from Knight's group as well as other potential buyers, it responded by noting the Blazers still weren't for sale.
Oregon sports journalist John Canzano had previously reported that Paul Allen's trust specifies the Blazers must be sold shortly after his death, which occurred in October 2018. Prior reports indicated Jody Allen was expected to sell the Blazers before tipoff of the 2023-24 season.
As for the Seahawks, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in May that he didn't “see any immediate change in ownership,” per Pro Football Talk. Obviously, Allen's declaration aligns with that sentiment, as well as palpable radio silence regarding the matter since rumors of the Blazers' potential sale to Knight and Smolinisky surfaced a few weeks ago.
The Blazers and Seahawks will both be sold eventually. For now, both will remain controlled by Allen and her late brother's trust.