By The Associated Press’s Stephen Whyno
The prospect of moving back to the franchise’s former home in the nation’s capital is now one step closer for the Washington Commanders.
Congress is rushing to pass a short-term spending package that includes a clause transferring the land where the former RFK Stadium is located from the federal government to the District of Columbia.
After controlling owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied lawmakers on Capitol Hill earlier this month on the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, the organization and the NFL have achieved a major success.
It’s a huge step toward realizing the site’s potential, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser.
According to Bowser, the city has been working for years to take control of the RFK campus. On the banks of the Anacostia, we are commemorating this moment and looking to the future of a field of possibilities.
A football stadium is undoubtedly one option.
In the upcoming years, the Commanders are thinking about building a stadium in the district, Maryland, and Virginia. In Landover, Maryland, their lease at Northwest Stadium expires in 2027, and Harris said that 2030 is a fair goal for a new one.
Before relocating to Maryland, the team played from 1961 to 1996 in RFK Stadium, which is located 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol. During that time, which spanned the heyday of three Super Bowl titles from 1982 to 1991, Harris and a number of co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football enthusiasts.
James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky who chairs the House Oversight Committee, hailed the action as proof that Congress is carrying out its responsibility to monitor the city.
According to a statement from Comer, this historic law will unleash the district’s full potential, create significant new jobs, and bring in millions more dollars for the nation’s capital. The American taxpayer would be burdened with continuing maintenance expenses and liabilities if Congress did nothing. The moment has come to free local politicians from federal interference so they may invest, clean up the RFK site, and generate new jobs.
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