Former NFL star Ndamukong Suh says he nearly joined Vinod Khosla’s Seahawks ownership group, but the timing wasn’t right.
The one-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowler revealed during the Front Office Sports Asset Class event on Tuesday that he had the chance to invest as part of Khosla’s record-breaking $9.612 billion Seahawks acquisition.
“There’s a lot of things I’m not in that I would love to be in,” Suh said. He “looked at the Seahawks most recently and had an opportunity there, actually, with the winning group.”
“Timing and being in the right position is everything,” he said.
Khosla could not be immediately reached to comment.
Suh is interested in getting in on sports ownership but hasn’t found the right opportunity yet, he said. He also “looked at” the NBA’s Trail Blazers and NWSL’s Thorns, both of which are based in his hometown of Portland, but didn’t end up pursuing either. Tom Dundon bought the Blazers last summer at a valuation north of $4 billion, while siblings Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal bought the Thorns in 2024 for $63 million.
Suh is not the only former NFL player who apparently considered a stake in the Seahawks. FOS previously reported that a former Seahawk had considered getting involved in the Khosla group, although that player’s identity remains unclear.
Longtime venture capital investor Khosla ultimately filled his Seahawks ownership group with limited partners from the worlds of technology, artificial intelligence, and private equity—not to mention the family behind Modelo beer. He also added a member or members of the runner-up bidding group led by Aditya Mittal and Wyc Grousbeck, although it’s not known which of the Khosla family’s investors fall into that category. Neither Mittal nor Grousbeck has been identified as an investor in Khosla’s group, but the other members of their bidding group were not publicly known.
The NFL’s team owners voted unanimously at a special league meeting Aug. 26 in Atlanta to ratify the Khosla group’s purchase from the estate of late Seahawks owner Paul G. Allen. The deal closed Sept. 3 and the new owners announced their minority investors, led by venture capitalist Mark Stevens.
The Seahawks won their opening game under their new ownership, beating the Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch in the NFL’s season-opener. They play the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday.
Although Suh has yet to find the right opportunity in pro sports, he has built a successful second act, both in the investment world and as an analyst for Sky Sports’ NFL coverage in the U.S. and Europe. He is co-founder and president of HMS Developments, which invests in mixed-use real estate development projects in the Pacific Northwest. He’s also a partner at Athletes in Real Estate, which focuses on commercial real estate development, is founder of restaurant holding company Generals Restaurant Group, and is managing partner for House of Spears Management, whose portfolio companies include Ember Technologies and investment firm General Atlantic.
Suh said during Asset Class that there’s no single person he would point to as his mentor for investing. In real estate, it’s Gary Shiffman, who recently retired after decades leading Sun Communities. When it comes to generally investing in the stock market, it’s Warren Buffett. In financial services, it’s Joe Moglia, former chairman and CEO of TD Ameritrade.
“I’ve had a lot of people, and it really just depends on the sector that I’m really looking at and focusing on,” Suh said.
Suh played 13 years in the NFL for the Lions, Dolphins, Rams, Buccaneers, and Eagles. He earned more than $168 million in playing contracts, according to Spotrac.
