The Washington Commanders are finally trending in the right direction, sitting at (9-5) with a chance to go to the playoffs in the first year under their new owner, GM, rookie QB and a roster that’s been overhauled from last year’s four-win team.
Since Josh Harris and the new ownership group purchased the team, there’s been a breath of fresh air and new energy surrounding the NFL franchise that was completely gone during Dan Synder’s leadership. Snyder caused massive issues both on and off the field, from nettling in roster decisions, to scandals and crimes that tainted one of the most storied franchises in the league.
While Harris made it clear his first goal was to lay the foundation in place to build a team that can compete for championships on a yearly basis, the need for a new stadium has lingered at the top of his list since purchasing the Commanders.
Northwest Stadium — the team’s current venue for home games — is in Maryland and has been graded as one of the worst stadiums in all of sports.
Just about every die-hard Washington fan wants the new stadium to be built in Washington D.C., on the same site as the old RFK Stadium, where the best moments in franchise history took place under Joe Gibbs in the 80’s and 90’s.
On Wednesday the AP reported the Commanders were close to reaching a significant milestone that would allow them to build a new stadium in D.C. at the old RFK site.
“A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is included in Congress’ short-term spending bill, which lawmakers are racing to pass.
It’s a significant victory for the organization and the NFL after controlling owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied lawmakers on Capitol Hill on the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act earlier this month”
But one day later, the AP and other news outlets reported there was a significant change, and now it’s uncertain if the Commanders will ever be able to reach a deal to return to D.C.
“A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in Congress' slimmed-down, short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to pass before a government shutdown.”
The rapid turn of events was ignited by a tweet from Elon Musk, who will be a part of the Trump administration, saying the proposed $3 billion stadium “should not be funded by tax dollars.”
But Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke on Thursday, clarifying the finances involved in the proposed transfer of land.
“There are no federal dollars related to the transfer of RFK, and in fact the legislation doesn’t require or link at all to a stadium.”
According to ESPN, if the bill passed, the government would lease the land to D.C. for 99 years and there would be no taxpayer money involved.
But now after Musk’s tweet, it looks like the transfer of land of the old RFK site from the government to D.C. is no longer part of the bill, making fans and media believe the Washington Commanders are now more further away than ever from coming back to D.C. as their permanent home.
