Lawmakers Give Up On Bill To Bring Commanders Stadium To Virginia

VIRGINIA — Members of the Virginia General Assembly who support public funding measures to entice the Washington Commanders to build a stadium in Virginia are giving up on their effort — at least until 2023.

After initial legislation passed in February, talks among state Senate and House of Delegate members to determine the amount of taxpayer support received by the Commanders to build a stadium in Virginia got bogged down in controversies around the team and its owner, Daniel Snyder.

But legislation could be reintroduced in 2023 to try to get the team to build a stadium in Virginia to replace the existing stadium in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where the team has played since 1997, according to Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-Springfield).

Saslaw told The Washington Post on Thursday that he still holds out hope the legislation that lays out how much taxpayer support will go to the stadium project could be revived once various issues surrounding the team are resolved.

Efforts by Saslaw and other Virginia lawmakers to provide taxpayer funding to attract the Commanders to Virginia are coming at a time of intense scrutiny of the franchise.

In February, several former employees of the Commanders joined leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives' Oversight Committee for a roundtable discussion about workplace misconduct inside the organization. Seven months after the NFL announced the completion of its own investigation into the franchise, the roundtable revealed new allegations, including claims of inappropriate behavior by Snyder.

Those allegations came almost two years after other former employees of the team complained about rampant sexual harassment by team executives. At that time, the team hired attorney Beth Wilkinson's firm to investigate. The league took over that probe, and Wilkinson reported her findings to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

After that investigation, the NFL fined Snyder $10 million, and he temporarily ceded day-to-day operations of the franchise to his wife, Tanya. Wilkinson's report was not released publicly.

On June 1, the U.S. House Oversight Committee sent letters to Goodell and Snyder requesting they testify at a June 22 hearing about the sexual harassment allegations and the NFL's investigation.

"Since we launched our investigation in October, the Committee's goal has been to uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse at the Washington Commanders, to hold accountable those responsible, and to better protect workers across the country," committee chairwoman Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), said in a statement. "The Committee has worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the findings of the internal investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, only to be met with obstruction from the Commanders and the NFL at every turn.

READ ALSO: Commanders Buy Land For Preferred Stadium Site In NoVA: ESPN Report

Comments that Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio made this week about the Jan. 6 insurrection also has added to the controversy surrounding Virginia lawmakers' efforts to get taxpayers to fund a stadium in Virginia. Del Rio called the storming of the U.S. Capitol building a “dust-up” compared to the racial justice protests that followed the death of George Floyd in 2020.

After Del Rio's comments sparked concern among Virginia lawmakers, Del Rio on Wednesday issued a new statement on Twitter. "I made comments earlier today in referencing the attack that took place on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Referencing that situation as a dust-up was irresponsible and negligent and I am sorry," Del Rio said.

Meanwhile, the Commanders issued a statement on Thursday expressing hope that a stadium bill could be voted on by the General Assembly in the future. “We greatly appreciate the time and effort of bipartisan leaders throughout the Virginia General Assembly in crafting legislation to establish a Football Stadium Authority,” the statement said.

In February, two bills, one introduced in the state Senate by Saslaw and the other by House Appropriations Chairman Barry Knight (Virginia Beach), easily passed both bodies. The bills would create a "football stadium authority" that would oversee the construction and financing of a new stadium in Virginia.

But the Senate and the House were unable to reach an agreement on a final version of the bill, leading to this week's decision to table the effort for 2022.

State Sen. Bryce Reeves, a Republican from Fredericksburg, said in a tweet on Wednesday that the stadium bills never should have been considered.

"The Washington Commanders stadium deal should have been dead on arrival from the start," Reeves said. "I voted no on this back in January. Dan Snyder doesn’t need our tax subsidies and gov't funded stadiums have proven to benefit the rich and not the average hard working Virginian."

Last month, reports came out about the Commanders spending $100 million to purchase 200 acres in Prince William County. The land is the franchise's preferred site for a new stadium and team facility, according to one report.

Though the land purchase was completed last week, the sale has not been filed with the Prince William County government. The site is located near the Potomac Mills mall, the Richmond Times-Dispatch said.

The football team, which will play its first season as the Washington Commanders in 2022, has played its home games at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, since 1997.

On Thursday, seven members of the D.C. Council wrote a letter to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) to inform her that a majority of the 13-member legislative body supports a proposed bill in Congress that would allow the city to purchase and develop the land around RFK Stadium.

“We all hope that the Washington Commanders can address its ownership’s many off-the-field failures — in particular its failure to provide a safe working environment for women,” the letter said. “However, we believe that this riverfront property, one of the last large undeveloped parcels of land in the District, must be utilized in the best interest of D.C. residents.”

The Commanders are locked into a lease at their current stadium in Landover, Maryland, through the 2027 season. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has said the state would issue bonds up to $400 million to build up the area around the current stadium, but would not help the franchise pay for the stadium.

RELATED: Commanders Consider Stadium Sites In Woodbridge, Sterling: Report