Report: Brian Urlacher, Travis Kelce, DeMarco Murray Join Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez Bid To Buy Mets
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)- The Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez bid to buy the New York Mets has added some further star power to their bidding team. According to a report from ESPN, NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and former NFL Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray are among a group of investors that have joined the couple.
According to the report, the first bid from the group has already been submitted to Mets ownership and it came in at $1.7 billion. That check in about $300 million short of the current top bid which is reported to be from minority owner Steve Cohen, whose previous attempt to buy the team fell apart in February.
"We couldn't be more excited to have such high-quality individuals as part of our group," Lopez and Rodriguez told ESPN.
The group is currently awaiting word on the next step in the process from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. The three NFL stars are part of a larger group of athlete investors who have joined the bid. According to the report, former Cleveland Browns lineman Joe Thomas, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee are also involved. Rodriguez and Lopez have reportedly put up $300 million of their own money as part of the bid process.
"Being a former athlete and having a chance to be a part of a group trying to purchase a professional team, it's pretty cool," Urlacher told ESPN on Monday. "It's especially cool to be involved with Alex. Alex is the man. You've got Kelce, Joe Thomas, DeMarco Murray. It's great to be in a group with them."
The bidding for the Mets is building towards a sale of the team that the current ownership group hopes to have in place by October in order to have the new ownership in place before the 2021 season.