Competition for Commanders heats up as DC, MD fight for team

The competition for who lands the Commanders next stadium is taking shape.

Commanders owner Josh Harris spoke to reporters Monday, giving indications it’s an active competition, specifically mentioning D.C. and Maryland.

Harris said he’s waiting to see what kind of proposals D.C. and Maryland send his way as he decides where to put the Commanders next stadium. He did cite a fan survey the team did that has shown the RFK site is of great interest because of its central location in the DMV and the history here.

What we know:

D.C. and Maryland are working on deals to present to the team.

The D.C. Council would need to sign off on any deal the Mayor’s office comes up with.

Council president Phil Mendelson said today he’s wary of public dollars going to a stadium, adding there are projects more pressing in the District that haven’t even been funded yet.

Mendelson says he likes the idea of something D.C. did at the Wharf, a so-called Master Developer who takes on the money and risk of a huge economic development plan like this.

"If you take a master developer approach, one could conceivably work out the numbers such that the overall development helps to pay for something like a stadium and avoids public dollars having to go into it," Chairman Phil Mendelson said. 

Harris did not answer any questions on the structure of the deal he was looking for, nor did FOX 5 hear back from D.C. or Maryland on their proposals. And if public dollars were kicked in, Harris said he’ll work to ensure economic development opportunities would accompany a site.

Local perspective:

Melinda Roth is a sports law professor at George Washington University. She says it’s her guess Harris would like to make this happen at RFK because of his childhood roots but he’s had a successful enough career to know this, ultimately, is a business decision.

"The decision will end up as a financial one because if it’s close, that’s different, but if the offers that come in are wildly different, then it might not make business sense and Josh Harris, if nothing else, is a great businessman," Roth said.

On Tuesday, the D.C. Council will formally vote on finalizing the transfer of the RFK site from the National Park Service to the District.

Chairman Mendelson says it requires a two-thirds vote and didn’t expect much controversy on that vote. Council signing off on a proposal to bring the team to D.C. in the coming weeks and months could be a different story.

The Source: Josh Harris, D.C. Council, FOX 5 reporting

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