WP - NFL commissioner, Commanders owner pitch D.C. Council on stadium deal by Jenny GATHRIGHT, Mark MASKE & N. JHABVALA
Posted: Wed May 07, 2025 5:30 am
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va ... l-meeting/
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders principal owner Josh Harris worked Monday to garner support from D.C. Council members for the team’s deal with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) to build a new stadium in the District, according to Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and a Bowser spokesperson.
The lobbying effort at the Wilson Building — where Goodell and Harris met privately with Mendelson and mingled with all but one of the council’s members in the mayor’s ceremonial room — demonstrated the extent of the NFL commissioner’s personal investment in expanding the football league’s footprint in the District.
The Commanders hope to achieve that with about $1 billion in public funds from the city that would go toward building a new stadium at the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium site in Southeast and surrounding development. Goodell, Harris and Bowser came to the Wilson Building after an Oval Office news conference blocks away at the White House, where they joined President Donald Trump in announcing D.C. as the location of the 2027 NFL draft.
But the deal to bring the NFL to the RFK site is far from done, several council members said. Mendelson said he remains wary of allocating public money for a stadium and is waiting to see more details. However, he gave some indication that a stadium may be in the city’s future during a news conference on Monday.
Click on the link for more
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders principal owner Josh Harris worked Monday to garner support from D.C. Council members for the team’s deal with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) to build a new stadium in the District, according to Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and a Bowser spokesperson.
The lobbying effort at the Wilson Building — where Goodell and Harris met privately with Mendelson and mingled with all but one of the council’s members in the mayor’s ceremonial room — demonstrated the extent of the NFL commissioner’s personal investment in expanding the football league’s footprint in the District.
The Commanders hope to achieve that with about $1 billion in public funds from the city that would go toward building a new stadium at the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium site in Southeast and surrounding development. Goodell, Harris and Bowser came to the Wilson Building after an Oval Office news conference blocks away at the White House, where they joined President Donald Trump in announcing D.C. as the location of the 2027 NFL draft.
But the deal to bring the NFL to the RFK site is far from done, several council members said. Mendelson said he remains wary of allocating public money for a stadium and is waiting to see more details. However, he gave some indication that a stadium may be in the city’s future during a news conference on Monday.
Click on the link for more