Jody Allen is taking too long to sell the Seahawks.
That’s the apparent opinion of the NFL. And it has resulted in a significant financial penalty.
Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal reports that the league has fined the Seahawks $5 million in 2025 for failure to comply with ownership requirements.
The league denied that a fine has been issued, per Beaton. He adds that the Seahawks, through a spokesperson for Vulcan Inc., did not comment on the fine.
Team owner Paul Allen died in 2018. At that point, his sister, Jody, became responsible for liquidating his many holdings, with the proceeds going to his specified charities.
The NFL, as explained by Beaton, did not push for a sale until the 2024 expiration of a term in the Lumen Field lease that would have required 10 percent of the proceeds to go to the state of Washington.
Paul Allen’s estate plans do not impose a hard deadline for the sale of the Seahawks. But the league, given the reported fine, is not comfortable with Jody Allen indefinitely holding a team that Paul Allen contemplated would be sold upon his passing.
News of the fine comes in the aftermath of reports that the Seahawks will be sold after the Super Bowl. The team’s official position is that it is not for sale.
The situation sets up a potential — in theory — legal battle. Jody Allen and/or Vulcan could argue that any effort to force the sale of an independently-held business violates antitrust laws. Several years ago, issues regarding the designated owner of the Titans following the passing of founder Bud Adams resulted in the franchise exploring the possibility of an antitrust claim.
It’s a delicate balance. The various teams are separate businesses. But they belong to a league that imposes restrictions on the ability to transfer equity. At some point, the league’s efforts to dictate the actions of ownership could run afoul of limitations to which each franchise agrees, setting the stage for potential litigation.
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