Financier and MGM Grand Hotel Owner Kirk Kerkorian "has
expressed a desire to purchase" the Jets, according to two
NFL owners cited by Mike Freeman of the N.Y. TIMES. Freeman
wrote that should Kerkorian "enter the bidding process, he
would be a formidable candidate," as he would be "one of the
league's wealthiest owners, and would probably have little
trouble financing" the deal. One of the owners said
Kerkorian's chance of getting the team is "good if he really
wants" it. The Jets "could go for" $500M, and other bidders
include N.Y. real estate developer Samuel LeFrak, Mets co-
Owner Nelson Doubleday, Devils Owner John McMullen and
Cablevision Chair Charles Dolan. But Freeman writes that
since Kerkorian "spends most of his time on the West Coast,
... his potential entry" into the bid process "is the first
signal that the team's suitors will not be limited" to N.Y.-
area bidders. Freeman adds that the sale "could go
quickly," since the estate of late Owner Leon Hess "will
most likely not bid" for the team. League Owners "maintain"
that the "only thing that could slow the process ... is the
desire" of Jets coach Bill Parcells "to hold off the sale
because of the potential distraction" the process could have
on the team (N.Y. TIMES, 8/22).
