Perhaps only in the nation’s capitol could this be on the table: Two senators have proposed a trade of sorts that would allow the Washington Commanders to return to the District of Columbia in exchange for an Air National Guard fighter squadron relocating to Maryland.
The Washington Post first reported the proposal Tuesday.
The Commanders are looking to move from aging Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. One possible site is what would be a renovated RFK Stadium in D.C., the team’s home from 1961 to 1996.
Yahoo Sports reported that Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen would not oppose legislation to allow the District to redevelop the RFK site as a potential landing spot for the Commanders. In exchange, Maryland would get one of D.C.’s two Air National Guard squadrons, a public statement from the team about its preferred location for a new venue and assurances about what would be built in place of Northwest Stadium.
Also, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris met Monday with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to discuss the RFK Stadium proposal, per The Associated Press.
Commanders on the move
In February, the House passed the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, allowing the redevelopment site and potentially a new stadium for the Commanders.
Last month, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted overwhelmingly to advance the legislation. Only Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., voted against the measure.
If the Senate passes the bill and the president signs it, the law would transfer the land with the shell of the former stadium and surrounding areas less than two miles east of the Capitol from the federal to the D.C. government for up to 99 years.
“D.C. has long sought to gain control of the federal parkland around the rusting shell of a stadium that once housed the glory days of Washington’s football team. (Mayor Muriel) Bowser has made the riverfront redevelopment opportunity a centerpiece of her economic agenda, pitching a buzzy mixed-use attraction including restaurants, retail and housing, with the stadium at the center of it,” according to a Nov. 19 Washington Post story.
Sites in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. remain in the running for a Commanders’ stadium.
“The Commanders have been fortunate to have interest from three incredible jurisdictions as we search for a new home and stadium,” a team spokesperson said in a statement, per AP. “The vote ... brings us one step closer towards continuing conversations with D.C., along with Maryland and Virginia, as a potential future home for our franchise.”
This plane won’t fly
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s non-voting congressional delegate, expressed concern about the proposed deal.
“Transfer would leave the DCNG with no aviation units, forcing it to be reliant on the goodwill of other National Guards for common aviation matters that arise in D.C., such as intercepting aircraft, patrolling the skies and rescuing or evacuating people in emergencies,” Norton said in a Tuesday statement to the Post.
“While D.C. could request assistance from other National Guards, there is no guarantee the air assets would be provided in a timely manner — or at all. D.C. rightly deserves to benefit from the land where RFK Stadium sits falling into disrepair and the exchange for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over the campus to D.C. should not come at the expense of the DCNG’s aviation resources.”
“The Commanders have been fortunate to have interest from three incredible jurisdictions as we search for a new home and stadium,” a team spokesperson said in a statement. “The vote ... brings us one step closer towards continuing conversations with D.C., along with Maryland and Virginia, as a potential future home for our franchise.”
Sites in the District, Maryland and Virginia all remain in the running for the new stadium, a process that was ongoing long before Harris’ group bought the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder last year for a North American professional sports record $6.05 billion.