Pro Football Rumors
As expected, the Commanders received good news today as it was announced that the D.C. Council voted to approve the RFK Stadium Project, allowing the franchise to return to the site of its former home of 36 years. A statement from team owner Josh Harris announced Washington’s plans moving forward.
“Today is a historic day for D.C., the Commanders organization, and our fans,” the statement began. “With the Council’s approval, we can now move forward on the transformative RFK Project that will bring lasting economic growth for our city.”
Harris went on to thank the Mayor Mureil Bowser and several other contributors before concluding, “We are deeply grateful for the warm return to the District and the center of the DMV, and look forward to officially bringing the team back to its spiritual home in 2030.”
A month and a half ago, Harris and Co. cleared a huge hurdle in getting the first vote to pass 9-3 after severe challenges were present from the project’s conception. An incredibly unlikely unanimous congressional vote from all 100 senators allowed Congress to lease the federal land, on which the stadium would be built, to the city for 99 years. Following the good news, a deal was struck consisting of a $2.7BB investment from the team towards the stadium and a $1BB investment “through various means” from the city for the development of housing, a sports complex, and retail shops on the 174-acre property.
Even after some feckless threats from the commander-in-chief, the D.C. Council pushed the deal through to today’s second vote. After today’s vote passed 11-2, per David Aldridge of The Athletic, the deal will now move on to Bowser’s desk. There’s little doubt whether or not it will get approved from there. Bowser has championed the project and heralded the passing of each obstacle as a victory.
According to ESPN’s John Keim, who’s chronicled this saga from the beginning, there were some last-second scares that could’ve threatened everything. Per Keim, an amendment to the deal was proposed that “called for a $10MM penalty per year if the Commanders did not meet the timeline to build housing.” That amendment — one of 12 — was rejected by the council.
After clearing several hurdles to get to this point, the RFK Stadium Project should be on the final stretch. The franchise will now have five years to make the nine-mile trek back from Landover, MD.
