Virginia Senate Leader Says Commanders Stadium Bill is Dead

A bill to potentially bring the new Commanders stadium to Virginia is dead.

Virginia Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, who has led the charge to bring the Commanders franchise to Virginia, said Thursday that he’s giving up on the bill because of controversies surrounding the franchise, according to The Washington Post.

Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio was criticized for comments he made Wednesday when he referred to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection as a “dust-up” at the Capitol. 

Del Rio apologized for his comments on Wednesday night.

“This obviously was not very helpful to put it mildly, but there’s so many other things out there,” Saslaw said when asked if Del Rio’s comments factored into his decision to terminate the bill.

“There were just so many things out there that a lot of people are saying. ‘Saslaw, this thing needs to wait.’”

Outside of Del Rio’s comments, the Commanders franchise has come under fire for allegations of sexual harassment and financial misconduct under owner Dan Snyder’s watch. 

The news of the bill being terminated comes two weeks after a report from ESPN revealed that the team spent $100 million purchasing land for a potential stadium site in Prince William County, Virginia. 

The sale, which was for approximately 200 acres of land, was completed in mid-May.

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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.