D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser did a deal with the Commanders to build a new facility at the site of RFK Stadium. On Sunday, President Donald Trump demanded that the Commanders restore their abandoned name — and then he said he may condition the deal on the name being changed.
The Commanders and the NFL remain hidden under the nearest bed. For her part, Bowser has spoken out. While also trying to skirt the issue.
“This is what I believe,” Bowser told John Keim of ESPN.com on Monday. “I’ve had the opportunity to speak on a couple of different occasions with the president about this site and about our team. And I can say this without equivocation, he is a Jayden Daniels fan, and he said himself, and the presser we were at, that this is probably the best site of any site he’s seen for a stadium. I have to think that that’s what I’ve heard him say, and that’s what we’ll stick with.”
In other words, “Let’s just ignore the more recent comments that conflict with this. Because he’s a Jayden Daniels fan!”
From Bowser’s perspective, the primary goal remains getting the deal one.
“Let me be clear, we’re on the one-yard line and it’s time to get over the line,” Bowser said. “I can’t even imagine having to start all over on this. There’s nobody waiting in the wings with $2.7 billion. And so this stadium is a catalyst, and it will attract other investments. Any impediment to it getting done should be discouraged. When you’re on the one-yard line, you want to carry it over, right? That’s all you want. No fumbles, no interceptions — let’s just get it over the line. And that’s what we’re focused on.”
If she really wanted to go next level with the predictable politician football puns, she would have made a tush push reference.
Regardless, Bowser wants to push to the background the clear and unambiguous demands of the Commander-in-Chief regarding the Commanders’ name.
“Listen, I don’t think that’s an eventuality we have to plan for,” Bowser said. “What we have to do as a city is do our part. And so our part is we’ve come up with a great deal, we have a great plan, we’ve done the community outreach. Now is time for the council to approve it.”
D.C. Council hasn’t approved it. And it seems as if the application of pressure is backfiring, with D.C. Council becomes more determined to take their time.
They should. Whenever anyone wants something to be rushed, there’s reason to wonder what’s going on. Because the best way to get a bad deal done is to hurry it through before anyone has a full and fair chance to figure it out.
And, yes, it feels as if that’s exactly what’s been going on.