The popular pair of Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have recruited three football stars in their ambitious bid to buy the New York Mets, ESPN reported.
ESPN said Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce and former Dallas Cowboys star DeMarco Murray have joined the investment group led by A-Rod and J-Lo who wants to buy at Major League Baseball team.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have such high quality people as part of our group,” López and Rodríguez quoted ESPN as saying.
Alex Rodriguez, of Dominican origin and New York Yankees legend, and music and movie star Jennifer Lopez, who are engaged to be married, submitted a $ 1.7 billion offer to buy the Mets, according to reports.
Other potential investors include future NFL Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, who spent his entire career with the Cleveland Browns, two-time All-Star Bradley Beal of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, and the center of the Denver Nuggets, also of the NBA, Mason Plumlee.
On the other hand, hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen, who came close to taking over the Mets last year, has made a $ 2 billion offer for the club.
But according to a New York Post report, Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon would prefer to sell to the Rodriguez-Lopez group if his proposal approaches the best offer at the end of the auction.
Although Rodríguez and López reported that they contributed 300 million of their own fortune, it was not clear how much other investors had contributed.
“Being a former athlete and having the opportunity to be part of a group trying to buy a professional team is great,” Urlacher told ESPN. “It’s especially great to be involved with Alex. Alex is the man.
The investment group is awaiting news from Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred about the next step in the process.
Rodriguez was a 14-time All-Star during his Major League career with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. He was a three-time AL MVP, batting champion in the 1996 campaign, and a 2009 World Series champion with the Yankees. AFP (HN)