Report: Bezos denied opportunity to bid on Commanders

Billionaire Jeff Bezos is being shut out of the bidding process regarding the sale of the Washington Commanders, a source told The Athletic's Ben Standig and Daniel Kaplan.

The Commanders' banker, Bank of America, shared that the Amazon founder has been barred from bidding on the team dating back months, per The Athletic.

"It's a free country, he can sell to whomever he wants," a person briefed on the sale of the team said, according to The Athletic.

Bezos owns the Washington Post, which published a series of stories that documented a culture of sexual harassment within the Commanders that led owner Dan Snyder to explore the prospect of selling the franchise.

Bids for the franchise have come short of the $6-billion asking price, according to The New York Post's Josh Kosman. An unknown bidder reportedly put up $5.5 billion this week.

Snyder could opt to maintain control of the franchise if the cutoff price is not reached during the bidding process. He originally purchased the team for a then-record $800 million in 1999.

Bezos, meanwhile, reportedly hired investment firm Allen & Company as he considers making a bid for the Commanders. His net worth is considered to be around $119 billion.