The Washington Commanders may not receive funding for a new stadium in Virginia this year. On Thursday, the Commonwealth’s General Assembly put a pause on legislation that would have determined the amount of financial backing offered by Virginia. State lawmakers have pointed out the franchise’s off-the-field issues along with a lack of community support as the reason for the decision.
“The vote got tabled because there wasn’t support for the stadium for a panoply of reasons,” Virginia Senator Chap Petersen told the Associated Press.
“For some people, there are some systemic issues. I don’t believe the team has the type of community backing I would expect from a major pro sports franchise and then all the issues with the owner.”
After learning of the decision, the Commanders issued a brief statement. The franchise says that it is willing to examine the situation further because of the “complexity of this endeavor, coupled with the remarkable economic development opportunity that we believe our new venue project represents.”
“[We look] forward to continued engagement and open dialogue with stakeholders across the Commonwealth to share our vision and hear directly from communities on their economic development objectives and how we can be a trusted, reliable partner to realize those outcomes,” the statement reads.
Prior to the start of the upcoming season, the Commanders purchased 200 acres of land in Woodbridge, Virginia. The franchise hopes to build a practice facility upon the land, but it has the option to pull out of the deal if it doesn’t receive funding support for local entities. State lawmakers will revisit the discussion of funding the facility next year.
