Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has signed an agreement with the Washington Commanders that lays out what would happen if the team opts to leave Northwest Stadium in Landover for D.C.
A source familiar with the discussions said Moore signed the memorandum of understanding Dec. 17, and delayed signing “until he was assured that Prince George’s County and Maryland would be protected.”
Under the memorandum, the Commanders would be required to tear down Northwest Stadium and redevelop the site with a project of equal economic impact to the area.
“Our position on the stadium hasn’t changed. We are not afraid of competition and we believe that we can continue to build on decades of partnership with the team here in Maryland. We are confident that Landover is still the best path to a new stadium for the Washington Commanders,” Moore said in a statement.
In an interview with WTOP, Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey repeated there are ongoing efforts to keep the team from returning to D.C.
Referring to the team’s glory days in D.C. at RFK Stadium, and the move to the Commanders’ Prince George’s County home, Ivey joked, “We’ve had them there 30 years struggling and when they finally get a quarterback that can get us looking good, they’re trying to take them back. So, we want to keep them in Maryland.”
“Keeping them at home makes sense in a lot of ways, I think,” Ivey said.
Noting that owner Josh Harris and his team own land around Northwest Stadium in Landover, Ivey said “there’s a win-win possibility for them. … We think we have superior opportunities for transportation.”
“If you move the new stadium a little bit further south, you’ve got access potentially to a second Metro site. We’ve got a big parking area, we’re right off the Beltway,” Ivey said, noting those amenities would “couple perfectly” with a new indoor stadium.
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