The trail for the NFL’s Washington Commanders to return to the nation’s capital is evident after an on-again, off-again saga in Congress ended early Saturday with a postmidnight reprieve.
The U.S. Senate handed a decision to transfer the land including old RFK Stadium from the federal authorities to the District of Columbia. The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act handed by voice vote at roughly 1:15 a.m. after more than a year of lobbying and assist from Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., district Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders controlling proprietor Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We’re extraordinarily grateful that our elected officers have come collectively on a bipartisan foundation to present Washington, D.C., the chance to resolve on the way forward for the RFK Stadium website,” Harris mentioned. “This invoice will create an equal taking part in discipline so that each one potential future areas for the house of the Washington Commanders could be pretty thought of and provides our franchise the chance to supply the very best expertise for all of our followers.”
The RFK Stadium land provision was part of Congress’ preliminary short-term spending invoice Tuesday earlier than it was torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of whom amplified misinformation about the site on his social media platform X. Two variations of the Home’s slimmed-down invoice, together with the one that passed Friday night to keep away from a authorities shutdown, didn’t embody it.
Giving the native authorities management of the land for the subsequent 99 years permits for the decaying husk of the outdated stadium to be torn down and the location redeveloped for any variety of issues. One of many prospects is a soccer stadium and surrounding leisure choices on the franchise’s former house.
Bowser called it “a win for D.C., for our area and for America.”
“All people loves a great comeback story — and that’s D.C.’s story,” she mentioned.
All that awaits is President Joe Biden’s signature to turn into legislation. Comer went so far as saying that Senate passage of the invoice is “a historic second for our nation’s capital.”
“If Congress didn’t act at the moment, this decaying land in Washington would proceed to value taxpayers a fortune to take care of,” he mentioned. “Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium website has been a prime financial precedence for town, and I’m proud to have partnered with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get this invoice throughout the end line and to the president’s desk. This bipartisan success is a testomony to the Home Oversight Committee’s unwavering effort to guard taxpayers and our full dedication to making sure a capital that’s affluent for residents and guests for generations to return.”
Taking part in in Washington once more isn’t any certain factor. The Commanders are contemplating locations within the district, Maryland and Virginia to construct a stadium within the coming years.
Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs by 2027. Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a brand new stadium.
The staff performed at RFK Stadium 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol from 1961-96 earlier than transferring to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, together with Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington soccer followers throughout that period, which included the glory days of three Tremendous Bowl championships from 1982-91.
A part of the way in which the availability received into the invoice initially concerned an settlement between the staff and Maryland to tear down the present stadium in a well timed vogue and redevelop the location with a mission of equal financial affect, an individual with information of the state of affairs instructed The Related Press earlier this week on situation of anonymity as a result of the deal was not being publicized.
After the Senate greenlit the RFK Stadium land switch, Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, each Democrats, mentioned they continued to imagine their state’s partnership with the staff ought to proceed lengthy into the long run.
“After working to stage the monetary taking part in discipline, and receiving assurances that ought to the staff transfer they are going to redevelop the present website in a way that meets the wants of the neighborhood, tonight we supported the proposed land switch laws,” Cardin and Van Hollen mentioned. “We’ve got all the time supported the District’s effort to regulate its personal land, and thru regional discussions and cooperation, our considerations with this proposal have been addressed.”
The staff has performed video games in Maryland since 1997 and practices in Ashburn, Virginia, not removed from Dulles Worldwide Airport.
A return to the district can be one other victory for Bowser, who on Thursday celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown enviornment renovation that’s keeping the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Capitals on the town. At that information convention, she took purpose at Musk for sharing incorrect data on X, previously Twitter, about taxpayers footing the invoice for a brand new stadium.
“It was said that the (persevering with decision) accommodates $3 billion for a stadium,” Bowser mentioned. “All fallacious. There aren’t any federal {dollars} associated to the switch of RFK, and in reality the laws doesn’t require or hyperlink in any respect to a stadium. We’re speaking about how the District can spend money on eradicating blight.”
Musk reshared an inaccurate post saying: “Buried within the 1,547-page omnibus invoice is a provision to facilitate a $3 billion NFL stadium in Washington, D.C.” with the message, “This shouldn’t be funded by your tax {dollars}!”
The bill particularly prohibits using federal funds for a stadium on the location, “together with coaching amenities, places of work, and different constructions essential to assist a stadium.”
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