With Eli Manning Eyeing Stake in NFL, Owners Set to Vote on New Rule Allowing Private Equity Investment

Retired New York Giants legend Eli Manning might be making a comeback to the NFL. However, this time, it will not be as a quarterback. While the athlete’s Brand Velocity co-founder Drew Scheinman recently confirmed that the firm is “definitely” interested in buying a stake or two in one of the NFL’s 32 teams, it looks like they might be getting their chance sooner than expected.

It was revealed in a recent segment on Front Office Sports with Robert Silverman, that the NFL would be opening its doors to private equity firms buying minority stakes in the league’s teams. The reporter also shared that current team owners would be voting on “a framework to establish some guidelines around how this would work,” sometime this week.

Silverman stated that if the first round of votes passes, “the actual rules” will be figured out with another voting session a few months later. Although there is no saying which way the votes of the owners could sway, this change could see teams selling close to a 10% stake to some select private equity firms.

So far, the NFL bylaws have required the team’s head owner to own a 30% stake and a cap of $1.2 billion on debt to acquire the team. However, the latest league vote could ensure that the responsibility is split between a group. While not everyone can toss their hats into the ring, it looks like Manning’s dream of adding “NFL owner” to his resume could come true rather soon.

Could Eli Manning own a stake in the Giants?

After a 16-season career with the New York Giants, it makes sense that Eli Manning would hope to own a stake in the only team he has ever played for. However, if the retired star’s request to own a stake in an NFL team through his Brand Velocity does get approved, it most probably will not see him be an owner of his former team. Although that may be quite a letdown for the brother of Peyton Manning, his dream of ownership will not end there.

After all, just a few short years ago, the now 43-year-old had already shown an interest in NFL ownership. However, he had one criterion to go by. Manning told Front Office Sports in an old interview, “It’s just got to be the right fit.” The quarterback acknowledged even back then that owning part of the Giants would be off the table as the team was not going to be “for sale anytime soon.”

With Manning having his eye on the Giants back then, he seemed a little hard to sway. After all, the athlete admitted to not being completely on board with “the idea of joining another team.” However, with his luck changing as the NFL chooses whether to let in private equity firms, the former quarterback may have to properly weigh out his options before going forward.