Paul Allen, the longtime owner of the Seahawks, passed away in 2018. Under his estate plan, his sister, Jody Allen, assumed control of his assets. The Seahawks were expected to be sold, with proceeds going to Allen-designated charities. However, no hard deadline for a sale was specified in the estate documents.

Now, a report claims that the NFL started applying pressure on the Seahawks in 2024, when a clause in the Lumen Field lease expired that would have required 10% of sale proceeds to go to the state of Washington.

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The league reportedly remains uncomfortable with the team being held indefinitely by a trust rather than transitioning to a permanent controlling owner.

The Claim: A report circulating online claims that the NFL fined the Seattle Seahawks $5 million in 2025 for failing to comply with league ownership requirements, stemming from Jody Allen taking too long to sell the franchise following the death of her brother, Paul Allen. But is it actually true?

Source of the rumor: Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal reported that the NFL had allegedly issued a $5 million fine to the Seahawks for non-compliance with ownership rules. However, Beaton also noted in the same article that the NFL denied that any fine had been issued and that the Seahawks declined to comment

Verdict: False (Unconfirmed and Officially Denied)

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The NFL has been unequivocal in its denial. After ProFootballTalk referenced the WSJ report, chief NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued an unprompted statement:

“As we told the WSJ yesterday on the record, the team was not fined.”

Later that day, the league reiterated its position, insisting that no $5 million fine was ever imposed on the Seahawks. The Seahawks, through Vulcan Inc., declined to comment directly on the alleged fine.

However, the team has repeatedly stated it is not for sale, and no confirmation of a fine has come from the organization. Additionally, no league transaction records or disciplinary notices have surfaced to corroborate the claim. If a fine had been issued, it could potentially set up a legal conflict between the league and ownership.

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In theory, Jody Allen or Vulcan could argue that forcing the sale of an independently held franchise or financially penalizing an owner to compel a sale could violate antitrust laws, an argument previously explored by the Titans following Bud Adams’ death. That said, no such dispute has materialized publicly.

Therefore, there is no verified evidence confirming the penalty. At this time, the claim cannot be substantiated as fact.

The post Fact Check: Did the NFL Fine the Seattle Seahawks $5 Million? appeared first on The SportsRush.