Commanders stadium chatter ramps up around training camp, new ownership group

ASHBURN, Va. — Excitement is in the air during the first day of open practice at Commanders training camp in Ashburn, Virginia Thursday. Camp opened on Wednesday and new majority owner Josh Harris was there in person. The excitement has revitalized the ongoing conversation around the new home for the team.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was also on hand to meet with fans at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park Thursday, and said he was excited for the new ownership group and a new era. 

"The new ownership brings a huge level of commitment and excitement, and to see all the fans out here is fabulous," Youngkin told WUSA9 Sports Director Darren Haynes. "This is going to be the beginning of an exciting season, and on top of that, a brand new commitment to Washington football."

He also made his pitch for the future of Commanders football in the Commonwealth. 

"I've said many times, Virginia should be the best place to live, work, raise a family, and it should be the best place to have a professional football team," the governor said. 

Youngkin said he is going to do his best to bring the Commanders to Virginia. 

But Youngkin is not the only one making a push for the stadium as new ownership reinvigorates the Commanders fanbase. 

"People are seeing that new life is being breathed into this franchise, which is a long and storied franchise," Moore said. "We know that its future should be in Prince George's County, Maryland." 

Moore pointed out that Maryland has already invested in bringing the stadium to Prince George's County.

"Part of the reason that we have already made a significant investment in showing the new leadership team for the Commanders that we're serious about this — just in the last session, we allocated $400 million that's going to be going to all the work that's happening around the stadium," he said. "For me, it's not just about are we producing a winner on the field. It's about are we producing a winner outside of the stadium, too. I believe that this stadium should be in Prince George's County, I believe that it will be in Prince George's County, I know that we are excited to support the endeavor to make that happen."

The bipartisan legislation would transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK stadium site from the Secretary of the Interior to the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA). The bill would allow GSA to enter into a lease with the District of Columbia, under which D.C. may use the land for stadium redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes.

“The RFK site sits on underused federal land in D.C. that could be redeveloped, generating tax revenue for D.C.,” Norton said in a press statement. “Neither the mayor nor the council chair opposes this bill, which would allow D.C. to put the site to productive use – a vast improvement on the current state of affairs. I look forward to working with Chairman Comer to pass this bill as quickly as possible.”

"We are maxed out in our borrowing over the life of the capital improvement plan adopted for Fiscal Year 2024-2029," Mendelson tweeted Thursday in reaction to the legislation. "Any development of the campus must come at the expense of private developers. To expect otherwise would come at the expense of District schools, public housing, better roads, etc.," Mendelson said. 

Mendelson also made a point that the new ownership should release the full report related to the Beth Wilkinson investigation into the Commanders workplace culture and sexual harassment.

"With the transfer of ownership, the Commanders can no longer be hurt by releasing of the report," the chairman wrote in his statement. "There is no longer a reason (as if there was ever a legitimate reason) to withhold the results of Ms. Wilkinson’s investigation. It must be released." 

For his part, Harris has not weighed in on where the new stadium should be. During his introductory press conference, he focused on improving the overall fan experience.

“As far as the stadium experience, long run, we would love to have a stadium where the opposing players fear to come, and our fans love to come, and our players love to come and feel welcome," Harris said. "That's what I experienced at RFK.”