When discussions on a new Redskins stadium started a while back, many determining factors were brought up. Because of the surge of political correctness in society, the Redskins name was the first issue raised. Now that the farce that was that movement has subsided, the major obstacle in finding the Redskins a new home is going to be how much public funding the project will need.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe says that he can help the franchise build a new stadium with no public taxpayer money. When you consider that Virginia, Maryland, and DC have recently been vocal about trying to attract the team, McAuliffe’s claim could be a game-changer.
Virginia Governor Wants No Taxpayer Dollars
McAuliffe compares his proposal to the one that helped move the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles and believes the team would be a great compliment to what he calls the state’s “booming” economy. “There were no taxpayer dollars involved,” he said. “You do development rights around the stadium. It’s got to work for the Redskins. It’s got to work for the taxpayers around the commonwealth of Virginia.”
McAuliffe also spoke of conversations with Redskins owners Dan Snyder, Robert Rothman, and Dwight Schar, saying, “It would be great for the Redskins, it would be great for the Commonwealth of Virginia, so Dan knows where I am, and I have talked to Dan and Bob and Dwight, the owners of it. Now, their lease isn’t up until 2027, so they do have some time, but we have been in active negotiations, but we don’t need taxpayer dollars.”
The current Virginia state Governor added, “Had they been in Virginia this year, they’d be going to the Super Bowl.”
Governor Terry McAuliffe makes his case for why the Redskins should move their home stadium to Virginia. pic.twitter.com/MlnBzxpDuS
— Jason Pugh (@JPughSports) August 4, 2016
The idea could push the Virginia proposal to the top of the stack for now. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is hesitant to believe the claims, “I don’t think that there can be, in any case, in D.C., Maryland or Virginia, a stadium built without taxpayers supporting infrastructure.” She further clarified, “Terry is parsing the stadium from the infrastructure.”
Bowser’s comments could hold some truths; McAuliffe did not address the infrastructure costs during his interview.
While the current stadium/land deal the Redskins have at FedEx Field will keep the team in Landover, Maryland, until 2027, the team will need to have a well-laid-out plan in place long before they move. Maryland is expected to make a play at keeping the team in their state as well, while DC has already outlined its plans to regain the team.
This battle is just starting to heat up…stay tuned. H/T via Fox 5 in DC.
