STERLING, Va. — Dan Snyder remains the owner of the Washington Commanders on Monday, but day after day we’re hearing reports of a possible sale that could be worth as much as $7 billion.
And while nothing has been finalized just yet – Virginia lawmakers are listening. One top leader in Loudoun County says she wants to talk about a possible stadium in Sterling.
A new stadium is still very far away, but some lawmakers in Loudoun say they’re open to hearing pitches for a new Commanders stadium – especially if the controversial owner is out of the picture.
"It could be a great thing, yes. Devil's in the details,” said Matt Rogers, the chief of staff for the County Chair Phyllis Randall.
Over the last year, Randall expressed interest but not a commitment to a possible stadium in Loudoun. That could go on the old Loudoun Quarries property in the Sterling area.
Now with a possible sale, she took to social media saying they’re still interested in hearing pitches.
Does Snyder being out of the picture make Loudoun more interested?
Rogers said, “Certainly. Certainly. Certainly. Not to dance around it too much. But the new ownership – potential ownership – definitely makes this more palatable.”
But not everyone on the Board agrees.
Tony Buffington who represents the Blue Ridge area has long opposed the plan.
“I just don’t think we need it in Loudoun," Buffington said. “One of the main concerns is traffic. Another concern is crime.”
What about the people who ask why not get a piece of the pie of a new stadium to help business?
“There’s a lot of different pies we already have a piece of. And there are a lot of other pies that we could continue to get new pieces of. From my perspective, and for my constituents, they’re just not interested in that sort of pie."