The Washington, D.C., city council chairman announced Thursday that a deal has been reached between the city and the Washington Commanders on an amended stadium agreement, despite threats earlier this week from President Trump to block any deal.
The NFL team is in negotiations with the district over their plans to build a new stadium at the RFK Stadium site in D.C. 30 years after decamping to Maryland, but the proposal faces myriad challenges up ahead.
Mr. Trump said on July 20 that if the Commanders “don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington.” The team changed their name from the “Washington Redskins” five years ago, as the term is widely considered a racist slur against Native Americans, but Mr. Trump has recently revamped calls for a return to the old name.
“I think that everyone has been perplexed by the President’s comments, and in that sense, they certainly have not been helpful. I don’t know where they go. And I have actually characterized him as a distraction, in the many senses of that word,” D.C. Council chairman Phil Mendelson said of Mr. Trump’s comments at a press conference Thursday.
The council is set to vote on the proposal on Aug. 1, with a second vote set for Sept. 17, according to Mendelson. Mendelson said he is “confident that we will have the votes necessary” to pass the agreement next week.
In addition to the looming threats from the president, the D.C. Council and the Commanders also face the technical difficulties surrounding the transfer of control over the RFK Stadium property. While the stadium is located on federal land, the city was given permission by Congress in January to control the property for 99 years, which would allow for its redevelopment. The agreement reached today signals a step towards receiving approval from city councilors over the redevelopment plan, but the real test will come with the Aug. 1 vote.
Regardless of the forthcoming roadblocks, the proposal seems to have widespread support, both from district politicians and residents.
“Bringing the Commanders home is about more than a stadium. It’s about creating jobs, attracting revenue, and driving investment to Ward 7—and it’s coming at [a] time when we need it the most,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday.
The deal, as of its latest amendments, includes $950 million in revenue benefits for D.C., and is estimated to save district taxpayers $55 million, according Mendelson.
“A lot of the reaction that we got from residents, at least, that I heard, and I think my colleagues would agree, was that the deal could be better for the district. And I mean, I heard from many people, ‘I support the team. I want the team in a district, but I think it could be a better deal.’ And so I think the Commanders heard that,” Mendelson said.
The negotiations will likely continue, with possible additional amendments to be made later on, but while Mendelson said “there’s still a lot that has to be worked out in terms of legal documents,” the current deal represents the “basic framework” of the agreement.
Mendelson, who previously raised concerns over the proposal due to its costs, said he “[put] aside my own view” on the deal due to support from D.C. residents and his fellow council members, and has since been satisfied with the progress.
“[T]he Commanders have been very positive, constructive in our negotiations,” Mendelson said. “I have no complaint.”
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