CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The owner of the sports apparel retailer Fanatics has come out as the new bidder in the race to buy the Carolina Panthers, ESPN reports.
Michael Rubin currently owns a stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and the Premier League team Crystal Palace.
Rubin joins a field of interested buyers including Charlotte businessman Felix Sabates, who is part of a group of investors hoping to buy the team. Sabates told Channel 9 on Sunday that his group is looking to partner with another bidder.
[Sabates: 'We're not doing this just to play in the owner's box']
[Two emerge as leaders to bid on Panthers, according to reports]
[Panthers Sale: After playoff loss, what's next for team?]
Jerry Richardson, who founded the team and became principal owner in 1995, announced in December he would sell 48 percent stake in the team after the NFL started investigating allegations of workplace misconduct.
ESPN reports formal bids are due in a couple of weeks because NFL ownership would like to get a deal approved by the owners meeting in May.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he wants the Panthers to stay in Charlotte.
The Panthers are worth an estimated $2.3 billion.
Cox Media Group
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