For the first time in a while, there are good vibes surrounding the Washington Commanders. Owner Daniel Snyder has agreed in principle to sell the franchise to a group led by Josh Harris, which also includes Mitchell Rales and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Snyder has owned the team since 1999, presiding over controversy and controversy, and a lot of bad football.
When Snyder hired Bruce Allen in December 2009, the pair were supposed to land a new stadium eventually. However, it never happened. Washington, D.C. didn’t want the team back, Maryland was fine with the Commanders remaining at FedEx Field and Virginia shut down the team’s hopes for a new stadium.
With Snyder selling the franchise, everything is back on the table, particularly in Washington, where the franchise played its home games at the legendary RFK Stadium for over 30 years.
On Tuesday, D.C. native and Ward 5 councilman Kenyon McDuffie said he wants the team “back home.”
“I think we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity with the RFK site to re-imagine it,” he said, per WUSA 9 in Washington.
McDuffie believes a stadium could revitalize the area by adding housing, retail and concert venues.
“I don’t think it needs to be just a football stadium there,” McDuffie said. “I think it should be a broader conversation.”
However, some of McDuffie’s fellow council members didn’t share his enthusiasm.
“I’m not going to get cross-ways with a colleague,” said Chairman Phil Mendelson. “But I will say this – the RFK site is bounded on one side by the Anacostia River, on other sides by park land, and on the fourth side by residential. It is not the opportune site for economic development.”
The RFK Stadium site is owned by the federal government and was only leased to D.C. for use as a stadium.
While things don’t appear imminent, the outlook is much more positive than it was one year ago for the NFL franchise to return to Washington.
