Redskins On Hold

The NFL put off a decision on the sale of the Washington Redskins to Howard and Edward Milstein and Dan Snyder.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said there were not enough votes to approve the $800 million offer that was accepted by the trustees of Jack Kent Cooke’s estate in January. The league will hold a special meeting in early April 5, and Tagliabue expects a vote then. Passage requires 24 votes.

“We’re still struggling with the terms of the financing, and there was some feeling that a lot of work has been done under a lot of time pressure in the last week or 10 days,” Tagliabue said. “We felt more could be accomplished if we gave it more time.”

Also included in the sale is the new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in suburban Landover, Md. It is the largest bid for a U.S. franchise in any sport.

Cooke died in April 1997 and his will called for ownership of the team to be put up for bidding. His son, John Kent Cooke, the president of the Redskins, lost out in the bidding.