WASHINGTON — A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in Congress’ slimmed-down, short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to pass before a government shutdown.
The removal Thursday of that part of the bill is a loss for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, who were hoping to have the land available as an option to build a new stadium. Controlling owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied on Capitol Hill in favor of its inclusion earlier this month.
The revised bill came after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk criticized and rejected the initial package, which included the RFK Stadium land remaining in District control for 99 years.
A team spokesperson had no comment when reached by email. Messages left for the offices of the league, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Rep. James Comer, R.-Ky., who initially introduced the legislation, were not immediately returned.
Musk had earlier also reposted on X the false information that the bill included $3 billion for a new football stadium, saying: “This should not be funded by your tax dollars.”
But the only aspect in the bill related to a potential stadium was the resolution that would transfer control of the land at the RFK site from Congress to the District of Columbia.
“It was stated that the CR contains $3 billion for a stadium,” Bowser told reporters during an earlier press conference in the district Thursday, discussing $800 million in arena renovations for the Wizards and Capitals. “All wrong. There are no federal dollars related to the transfer of RFK, and in fact the legislation does not require or link at all to a stadium. We’re talking about how the District can invest in removing blight.”
The Commanders are considering places in the district, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years. Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027, and Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new one.
The team played at RFK Stadium 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol from 1961-96 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.
The RFK site would be the preferred destination for the organization, multiple sources have told ESPN, but they can choose to stay in Landover and build a stadium at their present site. They already own the land, and Maryland governor Wes Moore has said he wants to keep the team, but the state has received guarantees the team would develop the land should they leave.
With the land transfer provision no longer included in the new spending bill, the chances of the Commanders returning to the district diminishes greatly. And if the bill doesn’t pass, then it’s uncertain how long the Commanders would wait to see if it could be voted on at another point.
Harris has said they’d like to have a new stadium by 2030, though that’s not a firm deadline.
“I don’t know if there’s another path this session,” Bowser said. “We’ve done all we’re supposed to do, and this is the vehicle that has been identified — and agreed to by Democrats and Republicans. Have you been to RFK? Anybody? [It is] 177 acres surrounded by asphalt and a stadium that hasn’t been used in 10 years that is a blight on the nation’s capital. Now, I agree with the president-elect on this point: We want to make our nation’s capital the most beautiful capital in the world, so we have to move and free RFK.”
ESPN’s John Keim and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com