Patriots owner Robert Kraft is planning to divest 8% of the franchise, selling a 3% minority ownership stake to Sixth Street, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, and 5% to Dean Metropoulos, principal of the Metropoulus & Co. investment firm, according to Sports Business Journal.

Kraft is selling minority stakes at a time the Patriots are valued at more than $9 billion. Sixth Street is also invested in the Celtics, whose sale for $6.1 billion was approved earlier this year.

The NFL allowed owners to sell minority stakes to private equity firms last year . Shortly after the policy passed, Kraft hinted he might one day divest part of the franchise he’s owned since 1994.

“We’ve come up with a program that both satisfies the needs of the private equity firms but also supports the c

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