Report: Dolphins owner Stephen Ross rejects $10 billion offer, team not for sale

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is not selling the team anytime soon. According to USA Today, Ross entertained a $10 billion offer for control of the Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium and the F1 Miami race. The 83-year-old owner rejected the offer because he wants to keep the assets in hs family.

The news comes as the F1 Miami race takes place this weekend. 90,000 fans are expected to be at the event, which will also feature performances from artists Ed Sheeran and Mac Anthony.

“Miami joining Formula 1 has been huge for the sport in the United States, and the vision and enthusiasm Stephen Ross and Tom Garfinkel have for the event is incredible,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in a statement to USA Today.

“The event has quickly established itself as a destination for our fans, as well as the biggest stars from across music, sport, and entertainment. We continue to see our fanbase grow across the country on all our platforms and standout events like the Miami Grand Prix are a huge driver of this.”

Ross has been the Dolphins’ majority owner since 2009. He originally purchased 50 pefent of the franchise and Hard Rock Stadium (then known as Dolphin Stadium) from then-owner Wayne Huizenga for $550 million.

Stephen Ross talks building a ‘winning football team’

Back in 2015, Ross spoke to CBS4 News about making the Dolphins a champion. “I want to build that consistent winner,” he said. “I believe I will. But the challenge is great. It’s much greater than I thought when I bought the team, I can tell you that. It’s a lot easier to succeed in business than it is having a winning football team on a consistent basis.”

Ross also talked about the challenges of being an NFL team owner. “It’s on the job learning and no matter how successful you are in life it doesn’t really set you up to run a National Football team,” he said. “Because when you look at it, the way it’s set up every team should go 8 and 8. So how do you get that competitive edge? You know in business you can just hire who you want to hire. You can pay them more money and you can get them. But you can’t do that in the National Football League.”

The Dolphins are looking to take the next step after losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs the last two seasons. During the offseason, the Dolphins signed safety Jordan Poyer and linebacker Shaquil Barrett in free agency. They also selected former Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson in the NFL Draft.