Tag: D.C.

Commanders, D.C., attempting to bring NFL draft to the city

Could the NFL draft be coming to Washington?

The NFL announced this week that Pittsburgh would host the 2026 NFL draft. Next year’s NFL draft will take place in Green Bay.

Dallas, Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Detroit have hosted the draft since it went on the road in 2015. For years, the NFL draft was held in New York City at Radio City Music Hall.

With the next two host cities known, the 2027 NFL draft is the next one up for grabs. Which NFL city could be the next host?

If the Washington Commanders have a say, it will be in Washington, D.C.

According to Nicki Jhabvala and Mark Maske of The Washington Post, D.C. representatives and Commanders officials are vying to host the event and are confident they can land it in 2027.

As expected, the District will have plenty of competition.

But while several of those connected to the D.C. effort are confident that Washington will be selected as the site of an NFL draft in the coming years, others within the league cautioned that the competition is intense, as many cities with NFL franchises aspire to be picked to host the popular and increasingly lucrative event.

Per the Post’s report, the Commanders were among 12 teams in Detroit at the 2024 NFL draft to conduct site surveys.

The draft has proven to be an economic boom to each of the previous host cities, so landing the draft would be good for D.C. and the Commanders. With Dan Snyder no longer in the picture, Washington’s chances have dramatically improved.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell optimistic about a Commanders stadium in Washington

Roger Goodell hopeful for a new Commanders stadium in Washington, D.C.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell grew up in Washington, D.C., as a fan of the Washington Redskins, attending games at the legendary RFK Stadium.

Since taking over the franchise, new owner Josh Harris has been looking for the home of his team’s next stadium. The old RFK Stadium site, in addition to sites in Maryland and Virginia, is in the running.

Last month, House lawmakers passed a bill to allow D.C. to use the RFK Stadium site for a potential new home for the Commanders. The passing of that bill is only the first step for a potential return to the District for the NFL franchise; the bill goes to the Senate next.

However, everyone is optimistic that Washington and the Commanders can find common ground, including Goodell.

“Well, I’ve talked to (D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser) several times going back, I think, two years, about allowing D.C. to have the ability to have a long-term lease,” Goodell said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

“As you probably know, I grew up in Washington, D.C. I spent a lot of time at the old RFK Stadium. It’s something that I think Josh and the Commanders want to evaluate. I think the city wants to evaluate (it), and I think the NFL does. So, I see it as a very positive development that we can have another alternative that will allow us to get the kind of stadium in our nation’s capital that is warranted, in my view.”

The Commanders’ chances of landing a new stadium deal increased exponentially when Harris and his ownership group purchased the franchise from Daniel Snyder last year. Under Snyder, Washington had no hope of striking a deal anywhere for a new stadium.

Speaking of Snyder, do you think Goodell was happy not to discuss Washington’s former owner this year at the NFL meetings?

More details emerge from the shooting of Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr.

More details emerge from the shooting that injured Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr.

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. posted a message to his Instagram page Monday letting everyone know his condition, one day after being shot in an attempted carjacking in Washington, D.C.

“Surgery went well! Thanks for the prayers! God is Great,” Robinson said.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera met with the media Monday and said Robinson was “doing well” and in a “really good place.”

Later Monday, we began to learn more details about the shooting. NBC 4 of Washington said D.C. Police are seeking two teenage boys, perhaps as young as 15, in the shooting that wounded Robinson.

The NBC 4 report indicates Robinson was able to wrestle a gun away from one of the teens while the second teen shot Robinson. Robinson suffered gunshot wounds to his knee and hip.

The search for the suspects is ongoing.

“What has been reported to us is that they may be between 15 and 17 years of age,” Washington, D.C. Chief of Police Robert Contee said.

“Our victim in this case began to struggle with one of the suspects, was able to actually wrestle a firearm away from one of the suspects, and he was shot twice by the second suspect,” he said.

A handgun was found around a block away from the shooting as the teens fled the scene and jumped into a stolen car.

We’ll continue to follow this story as we receive more information.

 

Washington D.C./Baltimore snubbed in World Cup 2026 bid

The nation’s capital had a troubled bid process that saw it forced to merge with Baltimore’s bid at the last moment

The combined bid of Washington D.C. and Baltimore was not selected to host matches in the 2026 World Cup, as the nation’s capital made some unwanted history on Thursday.

For only the the second time in men’s World Cup history, the capital of a host country will not host any matches.

The only other time a capital or surrounding area missed out was in 1974, when the West German capital of Bonn did not host a match.

The snub marks the end of a difficult bid process for Washington, D.C. The city first began as a standalone bid with FedEx Field in suburban Maryland as its venue.

However, due to a myriad of issues with the stadium, which is home to the NFL’s Commanders, Washington D.C. merged its bid with nearby Baltimore in April.

The joint bid would have seen matches played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, while a fan festival and other activities would be held in Washington.