The NFL’s Washington Commanders and the District of Columbia are in discussions about a new football stadium in the nation’s capital, a person with knowledge of talks said Wednesday.
No deal has been finalized yet, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there was no agreement in place.
The team has been looking for a new stadium for several years, and that search moved to a new level when Josh Harris' group bought the Commanders from previous owner Dan Snyder in 2023. Places in Washington, Virginia and Maryland have all been under consideration.
The site of old RFK Stadium is believed to be the preferred destination. The Washington NBC affiliate reported Wednesday that the team and D.C. government were close on an agreement to build there, with the framework of a deal north of $3 billion.
“In the coming days, we will share more on our growth agenda by highlighting our next budget to grow D.C. and outlining a plan to realize abundant opportunities at our RFK (site) as we forge ahead with shaping D.C.'s future economy,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said in a statement.
Getting back to the franchise's former home is a path that included Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill in December to pass legislation to transfer the 170-plus acres of land from the federal government to D.C. It made it through Congress at the eleventh hour, and former President Joe Biden signed it into law in early January.
The Commanders' lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027. Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new stadium.
The team played at RFK Stadium, 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol, from 1961-96 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - RFK Stadium is visible from Air Force One as it takes off from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Nov. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
ROME (AP) — It was fitting that when Pope Leo XIV was elected, the Italian Open tennis tournament was being played just up the road from the Vatican.
Because tennis is the sport that the first American pope likes to play.
“I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player,” Leo, the Chicago-born Augustinian missionary Robert Prevost, said in a 2023 interview with the Augustinian Order after taking over the Vatican’s powerful Dicastery for Bishops following years as a missionary in Peru.
“Since leaving Peru I have had few occasions to practice so I am looking forward to getting back on the court,” Leo added. “Not that this new job has left me much free time for it so far.”
While the Mediterranean climate in Rome makes tennis a year-round outdoor sport and there are courts all over the capital, Leo will likely have even less time to play now that he’s the pope.
But Greek pro Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been ranked as high as No. 3, said he would be happy to hit some balls with Leo if he finds the time.
“Why not?” Tsitsipas said when asked by The Associated Press after winning his second-round match on Friday. “I feel like figures like this maybe can teach humans things. … I feel lucky that I was here when that got announced.”
Coco Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, said she nearly joined the crowds running to St. Peter's Square when she got an alert on her phone that a new pope had been elected.
“But I realized with the match the next day it's probably not smart to run like a mile sprinting,” Gauff said after winning her opening match.
“Hopefully he watches some women’s tennis," Gauff said. "I don’t know if popes go to sporting events ... but maybe he’ll come to a match in the future.”
When Leo was elected and then introduced at the Vatican on Thursday, first-round tennis matches were being played at the Foro Italico.
An image of Leo was shown on the Campo Centrale scoreboard during a changeover of Jacob Fearnley’s win over Fabio Fognini. And on the outside walls of the stadium, a jumbo screen was tuned to a news channel covering the announcement of the new pope.
Leo’s brother says the new pope is also a fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus serves to Anastasia Potapova of Russia during the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Friday May 9, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action against Serbia's Dusan Lajovic during the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Friday May 9, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV waves to faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square shortly after his election, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)
A screen flashes the news of new Pope Leo XIV, during the second round match between Italys' Fabio Fognini and Britain's Jacob Fearnley at the Italian Open tennis tournament, Thursday. May 8, 2025, in Rome. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
