Owners approve Pistons owner Tom Gores as minority owner of Chargers

The Raiders weren't the only AFC West team to get a new minority owner on Tuesday. The NFL also approved the effort of Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores to acquire a large chunk of the Chargers.

The sale resolved a longstanding family feud over the future of the franchise, with Gores buying out Dea Spanos Berberian's interest in the team.

"Faye and Alex Spanos fervently wished that the Chargers would always be a vital part of their family's legacy," the Chargers and the Spanos family said in a statement. "This proposed transaction ensures that the franchise will remain permanently under the control of Dean Spanos and his siblings Alexis and Michael. The entire Los Angeles Chargers family welcomes Tom Gores to our team."

Permanent isn't really the right word. At some point, the team will be held by someone other than the three named members of the Spanos family. In fact, at 27 percent Gores now hold more than any of them, individually.

"It's a privilege to join the Chargers ownership group and become part of the NFL," Gores said in a statement. "I have great respect for Dean's leadership throughout the NFL community, the Spanos family and its legacy. I'm grateful for the opportunity to invest in the Chargers and I look forward to partnering with Dean, Michael and Alexis in our shared commitment to compete for championships. I'm passionate about sports and proud to become part of an organization dedicated to winning on and off the field."

Not many minority owners individually own 27 percent of a franchise. Gores is one of them. It's hard not to wonder whether, even without a formal path to control, he's well positioned to eventually become the primary owner of the team.