RICHMOND, Va. — The Commanders are looking for a new home and there has been a lot of chatter about where that new home will be. D.C., Maryland and Virginia have all made pitches for a new football stadium. Now, new ownership is offering some fresh insight.
A confidential document prepared by the Josh Harris group, obtained by ESPN, says the Commonwealth will offer the best incentive package for a new Commanders stadium. Harris leads the group that has agreed to purchase the Washington Commanders from current owner Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion.
The 43-page document was prepared by the Harris group to lure potential investors needed to finance the deal to buy the team, according to ESPN. The document predicts the removal of Snyder as the team's owner will boost the team's prospects for a new stadium, and that Virginia will offer $1.5 billion for the new stadium.
But some Virginia leaders don't agree with that price tag. State Senator Jeremy McPike said there are more important things to focus on than football.
"That's a lot of money," McPike told WUSA9. "We have a lot of other priorities to take care of. Education, roads, transportation, mental health — those are all the top priorities right now. I think the key question is what do Virginians get out of it? Do we just get bragging rights that we got an NFL team? I'm not sure that's going to be enough."
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has repeatedly issued similar statements. One recent statement reads, "Any future plans with the Commanders should have the best interests of Virginia taxpayers at heart."
The proposal estimates that the team will have a new stadium by 2031, with a chance to move into a new stadium earlier. The updated timeline shows that a new stadium may not be ready by the time the current lease on FedExField ends in 2027.
Next week we could see another step forward in the ownership of the Commanders. The NFL owners meeting takes place in Minneapolis from May 22-24. That's when the owners could decide when to hold a vote to approve the sale of the team.
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