A U.S. senator has emerged as the major roadblock to the District’s efforts to gain control of the federal land that RFK Stadium sits on for a new home for the Washington Commanders, but not the one that has gotten all the attention.
Montana Sen. Steve Daines said last month in a hearing on the bill before the Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee that he would block a bill transferring control of the land from the federal government to the District until the football team agrees to honor the American Indians who helped create the team’s former logo.
The logo was created by an Indian designer and based on a real-file chief, both from the Republican’s home state of Montana.
But the real threat to the District’s effort to reclaim the team isn’t in Montana — it’s much closer to home.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen quietly has made it clear he wants the team to stay in his state.
Van Hollen is backing Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s efforts to keep the team in the state, with a new stadium to be built next to the existing one in Landover.
“Van Hollen is the much bigger problem,” said a source familiar with the District’s stadium campaign.
The veteran Democrat’s office issued the following statement: “Maryland has served as the proud home of the Commanders for over 20 years. As the team looks to the future, I hope that they will choose to stay in Maryland and appreciate the efforts of Governor Moore and others working to make that happen. As discussions continue, the priority is to ensure a fair process in the selection of a site and prevent actions that unfairly tilt the scales in favor of one location over another.”
The fight over the future home of the Commanders is about to get ugly.
Like Daines, Van Hollen can stop the D.C. RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, which would transfer control of the land to the city, even though there would likely be majority support for the legislation, which overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in February.
Under Senate protocols, a single piece of legislation like the RFK transfer can be blocked by one senator who can likely prevent a vote from taking place.
This was why supporters wanted the legislation attached to the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, which would have made passage easier, sources said.
Van Hollen’s opposition seriously jeopardizes the chances of the bill passing this year, with the Senate scheduled to go on a lengthy break late this month and come back for a short session in September before the November elections.
Daines’ opposition remains problematic as well. He is lobbying on behalf of the Wetzel family, whose grandfather Blackie helped create the Indian logo that adorned the team’s helmets from 1972 to 2020, when the franchise dropped the Redskins nickname.
“The logo itself remains a point of pride for many in Indian country and specifically the Wetzel family,” Daines said in a statement. “The failure to properly honor the pride and history embodied by the iconic logo must be made right by both the new team ownership and the NFL. Doing so would honor the Blackfeet tribe, my constituents, in Montana.”
Since then, the team has met with family members and is believed to be working toward an agreement.
The Van Hollen opposition is driven by Maryland’s efforts to keep the team in the state.
The team’s lease at the existing stadium — now called Commanders Field after FedEx opted out of its naming rights deal last year — ends in 2027, though there is nothing to keep the team from extending the lease.
This is why I believe that ultimately, the team will wind up in a new stadium next door to Commanders Field. It is the path of least resistance. The Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans are both building new stadiums next to their existing ones.
Near the end of Dan Snyder’s ownership, team officials discussed plans for a new stadium closer to the Morgan Station metro stop, currently about a mile from the stadium. In 2022, Maryland approved $400 million to develop the area around the stadium.
The RFK site has been the strong favorite among the fan base for the new home for the football team, and it is believed that Josh Harris and his ownership group favor a return to the city.
Harris and his group are putting $75 million into improvements at Commanders Field, which has been ranked among the worst stadiums in the NFL.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has been determined to bring the team, which left the District for Landover after the 1996 season, back to the RFK location, and, given her win in keeping the Wizards and Capitals in the city after owner Transparent Ted Leonsis’ failed attempt to move the teams to Alexandria, her ability to land the football team shouldn’t be underestimated.
But it has become a lot more difficult because of Van Hollen.
⦁ You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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