NEW: Trump announces Washington Commanders will return to DC in new stadium
“I am thrilled to announce that the Washington Football Team will be returning to our Nation’s Capital!”
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, will be returning to Washington, DC with the building of a new stadium.
Trump posted on Truth Social, “I am thrilled to announce that the Washington Football Team will be returning to our Nation’s Capital! The new Stadium Deal is a HUGE WIN for Washington, DC, and for the Team’s incredible fan base. It will also boost Economic Development, create more Jobs and, hopefully, lead to less Crime in the area. We are making Washington, DC, GREAT AGAIN, one step at a time!”
According to NBC4, the team has been playing at the Northwest Stadium (formerly known as the FedEx Field) in Maryland since 1997. The new stadium will be on the site of the team’s old home with a $3 billion investment for a roofed stadium. The then-Redskins started playing at the now-defunct RFK stadium in 1961.
Washington DC as well as the ownership of the Washington Commanders outlined the plans this week, where a 170-acre chunk of land of the old RFK stadium site will be used to construct a new stadium for the team.
“This land has been blighted and underutilized for too long,” Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday. “What our deal with the Washington Commanders provides is the fastest and surest route to developing the RFK campus, and not just delivering sports and entertainment, but delivering housing, jobs, recreation and economic development.”
The new stadium will feature a glass roof along with views of the Capitol building. An entertainment district as well housing and recreational infrastructure are also drawn out in the plans. The news comes after the team has fallen under new ownership with Josh Harris, who promised that the stadium will be the best in the country.
The Washington Commanders were once named the Washington Redskins, but the label was removed over backlash against the use of the term and association with Native Americans. For a time, they were known as the “Washington Football Team,” until the rebrand settled on “Washington Commanders.”
