It will be at least next year before the Washington Commanders know if they will get funding for a new stadium.
Legislation to determine the amount of support offered by Virginia was tabled by the General Assembly. Dick Saslaw told The Associated Press that there were too many issues to be solved.
He said that they could vote on it next year. It was expected.
The vote was tabled because there was not enough support for the stadium. He said recently that he wouldn't have voted for the stadium if he'd initially supported it. There are some issues for some people. I don't think the team has the support of the community that I would expect from a major pro sports team.
The Commanders said they look forward to continued engagement and open dialogue with stakeholders across the Commonwealth to share our vision and hear directly from communities on their economic development objectives.
If it doesn't get help from the state and Prince William County, Washington will back out of its purchase of 200 acres of land. The Commanders want to build a 55,000 seat domed stadium with an outdoor amphitheater that could hold up to 20,000 people as well as high-end shops, restaurants, bars and residential living. The practice facility will be moved to the site. The project would cost a lot of money.
The Commanders have tried to purchase land near their current location.
Their current stadium is in Landover, Maryland, and they own it. They have an agreement with Prince George's County that will end in September. The state of Maryland would issue bonds for up to $400 million to build up the area around the current stadium, but they wouldn't be able to pay for the stadium.
The Commanders wanted to move to their former home at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., but it's federally owned land, and there is disagreement between the D.C. City Council and the Mayor's office about how to use that land.
The bill was approved by the Virginia Senate in February. The House approved its version by a wide margin.
Washington's off-field scandals have not helped. The team and owner of the team are being investigated by congress. He hasn't said if he'll attend the June 22 hearing. Congress sent a letter to the FTC accusing the team of financial misdeeds. The Commanders wrote a 105-page letter to the FTC explaining their innocence. Financial claims are being investigated by the attorney generals in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Jack Del Rio wondered why there wasn't as much enthusiasm for the "rioters and looters" in the summer of 2020 as there was for the January 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. He apologized for calling the event a "dustup."
His comments were not helpful. The NAACP's president called for Del Rio to be fired because of his comments.
Jack Del Rio needs to either resign or be fired. His comments were offensive and ignorant. An attempted coup on January 6th was not a "dust-up". On a daily basis we learn how close our democracy was to autocracy. It is twisted to say that the insurrection is different from the nationwide protests that followed a public lynching. It's not possible to coach a majority Black team while turning your back on the Black community. It's time for you to take a break.
The stadium bill lost support before Del Rio spoke. There are other issues that need to be addressed.
The site of the desired location is represented by the senator who said that Del Rio's comments would cause the vote to be delayed. There isn't a single issue with 140 members.
The project needs more time to be reworked. There are a lot of questions about transportation. If you're going to have a lot of people, you have to be able to get them in and out of the project.
After six months, I hope we can get some better clarity on some of the issues that have arisen.
The Washington Commanders stadium deal should have been dead in the water from the beginning. I did not vote on this in January. Stadiums funded by the government have proven to benefit the rich and not the average working Virginian.
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