NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed ESPN employees in a recorded conversation during their company-wide town-hall meeting Wednesday, sources told Front Office Sports. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro also walked staffers through the details of the NFL equity deal and new WWE rights partnership.

The move has precedent. ESPN has brought in rights partners before to participate in town hall meetings on its corporate campus in Bristol, Conn.

Last week, ESPN announced it was acquiring NFL Network and various other assets, including the trademark for the NFL’s Red Zone branding and the NFL’s fantasy football platform. In return, the NFL will receive a 10% equity stake in ESPN. The NFL’s equity stake in ESPN has been estimated at $2.5 billion.

During the town hall meeting, Goodell expressed excitement about the partnership and the potential for ESPN’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer app, one source said.

There has been chatter in media circles that the relationship would erode ESPN’s journalistic independence. Goodell emphasized to ESPN employees that the league would not get involved in the network’s journalism, a source said.

In addition to Goodell, WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque also communicated with ESPN employees at the town hall via live video conference. Last week, ESPN announced WWE’s premium live events, including WrestleMania, will air live on the direct-to-consumer app beginning in 2026. ESPN’s deal with WWE is reportedly worth $325 million a year.

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.

The Portland Trail Blazers are being sold to a group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, the Hurricanes confirmed in a statement to Front Office Sports.

“We can confirm Tom Dundon is in the process of buying the Portland Trail Blazers and is excited about the opportunity,” a Hurricanes spokesperson said.

ESPN’s report that the team was sold at a valuation north of $4 billion is accurate, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The news of the deal was first reported by Sportico.

That valuation is higher than the most recent Forbes estimate of $3.5 billion for the Blazers, though it is a far cry from the records recently set by rival organizations. NBA team valuations have skyrocketed lately, as evidenced by the Lakers sale at a $10 billion valuation and the Celtics sale at a $6.1 billion valuation.

The buying group—which also includes Marc Zahr, co-president of asset manager Blue Owl Capital, and Portland-based Sheel Tyle, co-CEO of venture capital firm Collective Global—intends to keep the team in Portland, the source confirms.

In July, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said at a press conference, “It is our preference that that team remains in Portland,” and noted the team “likely needs a new arena, so that will be part of the challenge for any new ownership group coming in.” 

The Blazers have played in the Moda Center since 1995. It was supposed to be upgraded ahead of hosting the 2030 women’s Final Four, but those plans are reportedly on hold until the team is sold.

The estate of Paul G. Allen put the Blazers up for sale in May, hiring Allen & Company and law firm Hogan Lovells as financial and legal advisers, respectively.

The sale of the Blazers is in line with the wishes of the late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who bought the Blazers for $70 million in 1988 and died in 2018. Since then, Jody Allen has served as her late brother’s executor and trustee of his estate. She has been the chair of both the Blazers and NFL’s Seahawks during that span. 

The Seahawks and Allen’s 25% stake in the Seattle Sounders MLS club—the other pro teams Paul Allen requested be posthumously sold—were not put up for sale. Representatives for the NBA and Allen & Co. declined to comment. A representative for the Blazers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dundon is a major player in U.S. pro sports. In addition to the Hurricanes—which in 2018 he bought a majority stake in before taking over the team in its entirety in 2021—he leads investment firms Dundon Capital Partners and Southpaw Capital Partners. He also has a number of other major sports holdings, including a significant investment in Topgolf Callaway Brands and is among the owners of Major League Pickleball.

He was also a backer of the short-lived Alliance of American Football and has become embroiled in controversy over the league’s bankruptcy. There have been two lawsuits filed in the wake of the AAF bankruptcy, one of which was against Dundon. It alleges he fraudulently bought the league in February 2019 from the founder with a pledge to invest $250 million that he had no intention of spending. Instead, the trustee alleges in court filings, Dundon wanted a tax credit to offset gains elsewhere in his portfolio and bought the league to kill it.

Dundon in turn has sued Charlie Ebersol, the AAF cofounder and son of legendary NBC executive Dick Ebersol. The AAF needed a cash infusion in February 2019 when Fowler abruptly pulled out, and Dundon claims Ebersol fraudulently induced him to buy the floundering league and the AAF was a financial basket case.

Those suits are still ongoing.

The sale of the Celtics at a $6.1 billion valuation has been unanimously approved by the NBA board of governors, the league announced Wednesday.

The transaction, first announced in March, is expected to close “shortly,” according to a statement from the NBA. The board vote and team sales closing typically happen in tandem, so closing should happen in days, not weeks. A representative for Chisholm declined to comment Wednesday.

Once the transaction officially closes, Bill Chisholm will assume control of the team. Previously, departing governor Wyc Grousbeck had said he would retain control through the 2027-28 season, but Front Office Sports recently reported that plan changed. 

Grousbeck will immediately cede the lead governor role to Chisholm and will stay on as alternate governor and CEO through 2028.

At the time it was announced, the Celtics sale represented the largest pro sports deal in history, although only a few months later that record was broken when the Lakers were sold at a $10 billion valuation. 

The sale took longer to close than some other recent franchise sales (it’s been about five months since the Celtics deal was announced, while the Mavericks, Hornets, and Suns sales took an average of less than a month and a half to close after the first announcement). Rumors about potential issues with the transaction sprouted almost as soon as it was announced in late March, including reports that private-equity firm Sixth Street Partners was contributing more money than Chisholm. The NBA’s private-equity ownership rules stipulate that a PE firm cannot be the largest stakeholder in a team and that the controlling owner must contribute at least 15% of the purchase price. 

Chisholm took care of any issues and the agreement has seemingly been ready for approval since May, when FOS reported Chisholm had amassed enough money to cover the cost of the deal. Later that month, FOS confirmed that the CEO of ArcelorMittal—the world’s second-largest steel producer—is contributing $1 billion to the transaction. Other investors participating in the deal include private-equity firm Sixth Street, existing Celtics minority owner Robert Hale Jr., and Related Companies president Bruce A. Beal Jr.

Chisholm, who, prior to the Celtics announcement, was a little-known private-equity executive, is buying the team in his personal capacity, not through his firm, Symphony Technology Group.

For the first time since 2018, some prize money earned at the Tour Championship will count toward PGA Tour players’ career earnings.

In yet another change surrounding next week’s playoff finale, the entire $40 million purse will be considered “official money,” the PGA Tour confirmed to Front Office Sports. 

From 2019 to 2024, payouts at the 30-player Tour Championship (which topped out at $81.25 million last year) came through FedEx Cup bonuses and were not considered official money, so they didn’t count toward a player’s career earnings. From 2007 to 2018, it was possible for the Tour Championship winner and FedEx Cup winner to be different players. The Tour Championship had a purse that was counted as official money. The additional FedEx Cup bonus money was not counted as official money.

During the most recent six-year run, the tournament used the controversial starting strokes format to crown the season-long champion, who took home $25 million each of the past two years. Scottie Scheffler won last year, contributing to his $62.2 million 2024 season. However, $33 million of that came via bonuses, and just $29.2 million was official money, which is counted in his career earnings that currently stand at $92.15 million.

This year, starting strokes have been eliminated, and the Tour Championship is now a straight-up, 72-hole stroke-play event, with the winner also being declared the FedEx Cup champion, earning $10 million. Due to that format change, the PGA Tour altered how it distributes FedEx Cup bonus money. An initial payout occurred after the regular season, and another one will take place following this week’s BMW Championship.

While the Tour Championship move marks a significant change, it shouldn’t drastically inflate career earnings for most of the field, outside the top few players. The $40 million up for grabs is $15 million higher than the $25 million purse at the Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s flagship regular-season event.

The Tour Championship is likely to undergo further changes in 2026, which could bring more shifts to the tournament’s prize money structure and the FedEx Cup.