The group led by actor Ryan Reynolds and businessman Christopher Bratty (Remington Group) won’t be part of the bidding process for NHL’s Ottawa Senators anymore. According to multiple reports, Reynolds and Bratty decided to walk away after not being granted an exclusive 30-day negotiation window.
Reynolds and Bratty were considered the favorites to snag the Senators and were prepared to pay around $1 billion for the team. But before proceeding with the purchase, the group wanted to have an exclusive 30-day window during which they would negotiate a deal for a new downtown arena.
Galatioto Sports Partners, which is handling the sale of the Senators, didn’t approve the request as it felt other bidders would be unsettled with the preferential treatment. After being served with the rejection, Reynolds-Bratty group informed GSP that they were withdrawing their bid.
According to The Athletic, Reynolds and Bratty didn’t want to commit to playing a substantial amount of money for the franchise without having clarity about the status of the Senator’s arena. On the other hand, the NHL officials took this as a sign that the group wasn’t serious about their intentions to buy the team, while GSP considered it as “unreasonable.”
Sources close to the process believe that the exit of Reynolds and Bratty might cause the price of the Senators to come down. Still, there are plenty of interested parties, such as businessman Neko Sparks’ ownership group that includes rapper Snoop Dog.
