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Washington D.C. is one step closer to making a play for the Washington Commanders and the team’s return to the former site at RFK Stadium.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed legislation that would give the District of Columbia control of the RFK Stadium land by a 17-2 vote Tuesday. The bill can now move to a floor vote in the Senate.
“Let’s go Commanders,” committee chairman Joe Manchin, (I-WV), said once the roll call vote ended.
Officially, the bill is known as the “D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act,” which has the stated purpose of transferring control of the federal land the stadium sits on from Congress to the local government of the District of Columbia “for purposes which include commercial and residential development” – a new professional football stadium, for example.
“Today’s result is an exciting and significant step forward for the city of Washington D.C. as it looks to gain long-term control of the RFK site,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement. “The Commanders have been fortunate to have three incredible jurisdictions as we search for a new home and stadium. The vote today brings us one step closer towards continuing conversations with D.C., along with Maryland and Virginia, as a potential future home for our franchise.”
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) had previously halted the legislation from progressing to a full committee vote in May because the organization no longer uses the logo that was associated with its former nickname. The logo, introduced in the 1970s, was created by Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, a member of the Blackfleet Tribe, and based on a former tribe member. Daines is the ranking member of the National Parks subcommittee that oversaw the bill and said Tuesday he was pleased with the “good-faith” conversations currently happening between the team and the Wetzel family.
The bill passed the House of Representatives in February and was introduced in July 2023. It was one of 74 bills on the committee’s schedule Tuesday.
The Commanders played at RFK Stadium from 1961 until the team moved to its current stadium in Landover, Maryland, following the 1996 season. Owner Josh Harris, who purchased the team last year, has advocated for the franchise to return to the city limits. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser lobbied Congress to give D.C. control of the land to redevelop the stadium in the hopes of attracting the Commanders. The team is also being courted by Maryland and Virginia.
Any stadium plan would have to be approved by the local government.
Northwest Stadium – formerly FedEx Field – is considered one of the NFL’s venues most in need of an upgrade.