The fight to land the Redskins' future stadium "officially kicked off with battle lines drawn," as Prince George's County (Md.) and Loudoun County (Va.) this week have scheduled "dueling rallies" to mark the start of the NFL season, according to Thom Loverro of the WASHINGTON TIMES. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has been "telling anyone and everyone lately that the state is ready to get in the stadium business with the Redskins," though no details have been revealed "as to how that will financially happen." Meanwhile, Prince George's officials "fired back" this week, as County Exec Rushern Baker praised Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder and the organization. He thanked them for "not just having the team play in Prince George's County, but being good corporate citizens, being a part of this community, giving back." Loverro notes the "countdown to the stadium demotion has begun" regarding FedExField, which opened in '97 (WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/9). In DC, Deron Snyder noted the "clock is ticking" on FedExField, and it is "likely to run out" before the team's lease expires in 11 years. Snyder knows there is "no such thing as being premature in prepping jurisdictions and politicians for another round of 'Who wants to pay for my stadium?!'" He is "fully aware that fellow NFL owners have done smashingly well over the last 10 years and he’s anxious for his turn at the trough." Wherever the team lands, Snyder’s "new gem will continue the trend of 10-figure grandiosities" that started with AT&T Stadium (WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/8).
COMMITMENT ISSUES: In Virginia, Renss Greene notes Loudoun County Chair Phyllis Randall was non-committal on building a new stadium and described McAuliffe's inquiry as "a little premature." Other county officials say that they are "open to a Redskins stadium in Loudoun -- if the deal is right." Loudon County Department of Economic Development Exec Dir Buddy Rizer said, "At this point, I don’t think that anybody knows enough to really talk about whether it makes sense or not, or whether or not it’s a good deal for Loudoun. I think that’s really what our first step is. We don’t know what the deal is." Greene notes a deal would "probably not just be a stadium." Rizer and county supervisors have said that it "would have to be part of a larger development, and that they don’t see much appetite for spending a lot of taxpayer money on a stadium" (LOUDOUNNOW.com, 9/8).
