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Fred Smith, ex-Washington NFL team part-owner, FedEx founder, dies - ESPN

Fred Smith, a former minority owner of the Washington NFL franchise and the founder of FedEx Corp., a prominent sponsor across the landscape of sports, has died. He was 80.

Smith, the father of former Atlanta Falcons coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, owned a portion of the Washington franchise from 2003 until 2021.

«The Washington Commanders mourn the passing of Frederick W. Smith, FedEx founder and executive chairman,» the Commanders said in a statement. «Mr. Smith was a highly respected philanthropist and innovative businessman whose investments once included a minority stake in our team. He also proudly served our country in the US Marine Corps. We send our sincere condolences to Mr. Smith's family and loved ones, as well as our friends across the FedEx organization.»

In 2003, Smith purchased a minority share of Washington's ownership under Dan Snyder. Smith, Robert Rothman and Dwight Schar owned 40% of the franchise before selling their shares in 2021.

The three minority owners had become disenchanted with Snyder and in 2020 had hired a firm to seek a buyer for their stake. That came at a time when Snyder was under pressure to change the team' original name. Smith had been in favor of a name change, and FedEx, which had the stadium naming rights, issued a press release at the time saying it had informed the team it wanted it to change the name.

In November 2020, the three minority owners sued Snyder in federal court, saying he interfered with a pending sale of their shares to investors willing to pay $900 million. They said Snyder improperly used his right of first refusal by offering to buy the shares of Smith and Rothman but not Schar. Snyder had accused Schar of leading an

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