NFL sources said that the league owners "are ready to
vote today against" the Howard Milstein-Daniel Snyder bid to
buy the Redskins, according to Rick Snider of the WASHINGTON
TIMES. The sources said that owners of the Broncos, Browns,
Steelers, Saints, Lions, Panthers, Bengals, Giants and Jets
are all against Milstein's bid. Eight "no" votes or
abstentions would defeat the bid (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/17).
Also in DC, Maske, Heath & Shapiro report that a one-hour
meeting of the NFL's Finance Committee Tuesday failed to
produce a positive recommendation for the Milstein-Snyder
group, and that Milstein "apparently will have to make his
own pitch in hopes of persuading the owners" and NFL
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to endorse the deal. Cowboys
Owner Jerry Jones said it is "imperative" that Milstein be
allowed to "state his case" before the owners: "He's a man
of great substance, and I believe he can convince them this
is the right thing to do." While a league source
"confirmed" Monday that the Milstein-Snyder group "had been
told its financing plan was in technical compliance with NFL
standards," Tagliabue said that he "still hadn't made up his
mind about whether to endorse" the group (WASH. POST, 3/17).
SAM'S CLUB? In N.Y., Gary Myers reports that AZ
developer Sam Grossman yesterday "upped" his offer for the
Redskins from $720M to $750M (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/17).
