Report: Diddy and Stephen Curry bid to buy the Carolina Panthers

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) -- Sean "Diddy" Combs and Stephen Curry have joined a bid with billionaire Michael Rubin to buy the Carolina Panthers, according to ESPN.

Rubin owns the e-commerce firm Fanatics which specializes in selling sports apparel and jerseys. ESPN says Rubin sent his letter of intent on Monday and is bidding against hedge fund billionaire David Tepper and financial group founder Ben Navarro.

Rubin is already a sports owner - he owns stakes in the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils and Crystal Palace - sports teams in the NBA, NHL and Premier League respectively.

Combs has previously expressed interest in purchasing the team.

In December, Combs tweeted "I would like to buy the Panthers. Spread the word. Retweet!" Combs also tweeted, "ATTN all @nfl owners, it's time for diversity!! It's time for Black ownership!! The time is now. Let's make it happen!!"

He would later go on to address the issue on his Instagram page by saying, "I will be the best NFL owner that you can imagine."

"I will immediately address the Colin Kaepernick situation and put him in the running for next year's starting quarterback," the music mogul said at the time.

Curry has also been inquisitive about possibly owning the team.

The Golden State Warriors guard told ESPN, "obviously I have a day job, but I've got people that are plugged in and are trying to see how to make that happen."

Bloomberg is also reporting Alibaba billionaire Joe Tsai will be joining the bid. Tsai is currently an investor in the Brooklyn Nets.

All of this comes after the current owner Jerry Richardson was forced to sell the team. The NFL was investigating Richardson after allegations of workplace misconduct.