{"id":146351,"date":"2025-06-21T01:52:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T01:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/146351\/"},"modified":"2025-06-21T01:52:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T01:52:53","slug":"eerie-footage-shows-abandoned-nfl-stadium-as-controversial-3-7-billion-plan-lands-major-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/146351\/","title":{"rendered":"Eerie footage shows abandoned NFL stadium as controversial $3.7 billion plan lands major update"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Washington Commanders franchise has come a long way both on and off the field.<\/p>\n

With no Super Bowl<\/a> triumphs since 1992, scandals hit the Burgundy and Gold under former owner Dan Snyder.<\/p>\n

\"RFK<\/a><\/p>\n

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RFK Stadium is under a demolition order\"Washington<\/a><\/p>\n

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Washington is planning a return to its storied former homeCredit: Getty\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

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The ghostly shell has been left to decayCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

Then there was the divisive rebrand.<\/p>\n

Ditching the Redskins moniker, which was deemed offensive to Native Americans, <\/a>Snyder oversaw the change to the Football Team and then Commanders before handing over the keys to Josh Harris.<\/a><\/p>\n

Since the $6.05 billion deal in 2023 it has been almost positive news all the way.<\/p>\n

The selection of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels ignited the franchise and took them all the way to the NFC Championship game in his rookie season, while the NFL Draft will be coming to Washington D.C. in 2027.<\/p>\n

Harris’ purchase was the biggest in sports at the time, which has since been trumped by the $6.1 billion sale <\/a>of the Boston Celtics<\/a> and Los Angeles Lakers being sold for $10 billion.<\/a><\/p>\n

Harris insisted there were no plans to change the team’s name again in February despite a lack of approval from fans and will hope on-field success can appease any naysayers.<\/p>\n

He is off to a good start there with Jayden Daniels<\/a> looking every bit a franchise quarterback after leading Washington to an NFC Championship defeat<\/a> to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A headline-grabbing offseason has followed with superstar left tackle Laremy Tunsil <\/a>acquired via trade and Josh Conerly Jr. drafted to help protect Daniels.<\/p>\n

With a new identity, seemingly functional backroom team and formidable roster, all the team now needs is a glitzy new home.<\/p>\n

For that, Harris — who also bought Northwest Stadium from Snyder — is going back to the future.<\/p>\n

\"Washington<\/a><\/p>\n

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Washington enjoyed its best era at RFK StadiumCredit: Getty\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

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The stadium is still set up for baseballCredit: YouTube @The ProperPeople\"Fans<\/a><\/p>\n

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Fans ripped up seats after the last football gameCredit: YouTube @The ProperPeople\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

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An eerie silence hangs over the arenaCredit: YouTube @The ProperPeople<\/p>\n

When Washington won its last title in 1992, RFK Stadium hosted a victory over the Detroit Lions<\/a> in the NFC Championship game before a Super Bowl XXII triumph over the Buffalo Bills<\/a> in San Diego.<\/p>\n

The team’s last game at its former home was a 37-10 rout of the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>, which saw fans storm the field to rip up grass and take home burgundy and gold seats.<\/p>\n

Opened in 1961 and owned by the federal government until 1986, the 56,000-seat arena has a storied history.<\/p>\n

When former owner\u00a0George Preston Marshall\u00a0refused to integrate black players in 1961, President John F. Kennedy refused the team permission to play at what was then the District of Columbia Stadium.<\/p>\n

Marshall selected\u00a0Ernie Davis\u00a0first overall in the\u00a01962 draft<\/a> but the pick refused to play for the team and ended up being traded for Bobby Mitchell.<\/p>\n

The franchise later signed four other black players with Marshall the last NFL<\/a> owner to integrate.<\/p>\n

\"Commanders<\/a><\/p>\n

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Commanders owner Harris joined DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to announce the plansCredit: Getty\"Electric<\/a><\/p>\n

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Electric QB Daniels has breathed life into the Washington fanbaseCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

Renamed in 1969 after\u00a0Presidential\u00a0candidate\u00a0Robert F. Kennedy was\u00a0assassinated\u00a0in Los Angeles, the stadium hosted dozens of sports.<\/p>\n

As well as Washington, two MLB<\/a> teams, five\u00a0soccer\u00a0teams and two\u00a0college football\u00a0teams all called it home, while World Cup<\/a> and Olympic soccer matches were held at the stadium, as well as boxing, cycling, motorsport events and marathons.<\/p>\n

The last tenant, DC United<\/a>, moved out in 2017 and the venue — which featured in the 2014 film\u00a0X-Men: Days of Future Past — has been abandoned ever since, with urban explorers The Proper People giving fans a behind-the-scenes look two years ago.<\/a><\/p>\n

That may be about to change with the Commanders keen to leave Maryland and return to the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n

Harris has unveiled plans to invest $2.7 billion and create a state-of-the-art new arena on the site, which would be the toast of the NFL if plans are approved.<\/p>\n

Demolition crews have already been spotted on the ground where the team wants to build a 65,000-seat monument to the future.<\/p>\n

Browns on verge of $2.4m stadium decision that will leave ‘big hole in ground’ in downtown Cleveland<\/p>\n

But there is a huge potential hurdle — around $1 billion in taxpayer funds on top of the investment.<\/p>\n

“It’s a political game bringing in [Washington icons] John Riggins and Joe Gibbs,” analyst Mike Florio said on his Pro Football Talk show. “It’s all a political game, and it’s all a show aimed at getting people behind the project and aimed at shouting down those who would be opposed to it.<\/p>\n

“I’ve got a statement from the D.C. Mayor’s office, and the headline is, \u2018$2.7 billion investment from the Commanders is the single largest private investment in District history,\u2019 in bold and big letters at the top — because that’s how you get people to not notice the taxpayer money that’s going to be added to it, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The move still needs to pass a vote from the DC Council and chairman Phil Mendelson says he doesn’t think it would get through at this stage.<\/p>\n

“If it was today, given the information we know, I would say no. I don’t think the votes are there,”\u00a0Mendelson told FOX 5.<\/p>\n

“The research shows, over and over again, that sports stadiums are net losers for the jurisdiction. That is not to say that we shouldn’t have one, but let’s see what the numbers are \u2013 and we haven’t seen those numbers.”<\/p>\n

Harris has turned one of the NFL’s most dysfunctional franchises into a contender in a short space of time.<\/p>\n

A new arena, the NFL Draft on it’s way and return to the nation’s capital would be a huge statement of intent and he looks to return the glory days of old.<\/p>\n

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is on board, looking to bolster to local economy.<\/p>\n

\"Demolition<\/a><\/p>\n

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Demolition crews are on site at the decaying arenaCredit: AFP\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

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A bust of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands outside the stadiumCredit: AFP<\/p>\n

“We are thrilled to welcome the Commanders back home to the sports capital,” said Bowser. “We said that we could do it all – Commanders, housing, park space, recreation, retail, entertainment and more – and, together, that’s what we are delivering.”<\/p>\n

A strict July 15 deadline has been set for a vote in order to ensure a potential stadium can be built in time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Commanders have a very specific timeline in order for them to be able to open in 2030, which they need to open in 2030,\u201d Bowser said. \u201cSo, we wouldn’t want that to slip and we wouldn’t want it to
slip to an indefinite period of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would be concerned that that money wouldn’t be there, that a vote wouldn’t happen or that people think that it could wait until next year, and then I’m pretty sure that the Commanders would have to look at their other options.<\/p>\n

Some councilmembers insist the deadline cannot be met.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I have said all along is it will be extremely difficult for the Council to act on a $4 billion project in less than six weeks, especially when we have full time to spend on the budget in those same six weeks,\u201d Mendelson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are certain things we cannot do until we have that agreement and vote \u2013 getting things like the permits, zoning, all that preliminary work. But as you start to quote some of those dates out into the fall, that’s a real problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don’t have a lot of wiggle room, and so it’s really important where in maybe some circumstances, it might seem like a couple of months is not that big a deal, but in the world we’re in, it’s quite significant,\u201d explained a Commanders spokesperson. \u201cI will say I think the conversations with city council and of course the partnership with the mayor have been incredibly constructive.”<\/p>\n

NFL’s Greatest……<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ranking the top 10……<\/p>\n

Maryland native Harris is well aware of the significance of his proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a defining moment for the DMV and the Washington Commanders<\/a>,” he said.<\/p>\n

“RFK Stadium holds a legendary place in our history \u2013 it’s where the team dominated the NFL, capturing three Super Bowls. Now, we have the opportunity to honor that legacy by building a new world-class stadium — one that is also a once-in-a-generation catalyst for uplifting and transforming our region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking hand-in-hand with District and community leaders, we’re focused on delivering an incredible home for our players and fans, creating a landmark venue, and sparking a new era of economic opportunity across the DMV.\u201d<\/p>\n

He talks a good game, now comes the hard part.<\/p>\n

Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page<\/a>, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel <\/a>for all the offseason news, interviews and more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Washington Commanders franchise has come a long way both on and off the field. With no Super…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21557,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[10184,427,33810,9400,10188,5754,5962,10185,7,5516,1002,6,835,11170,10187,10186,4336,33811,1902,505,855,111,4587,5176,2480],"class_list":{"0":"post-146351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-commanders","8":"tag-abandoned-stadiums","9":"tag-commanders","10":"tag-commanders-news","11":"tag-commanders-stadium","12":"tag-commanders-super-bowls","13":"tag-dan-snyder","14":"tag-dc-council","15":"tag-district-colombia-stadium","16":"tag-football","17":"tag-josh-harris","18":"tag-maryland","19":"tag-nfl","20":"tag-nfl-news","21":"tag-nfl-stadium","22":"tag-nfl-stadiums","23":"tag-rfk-jr","24":"tag-rfk-stadium","25":"tag-rfk-stadium-updatio","26":"tag-roger-goodell","27":"tag-super-bowl","28":"tag-washington","29":"tag-washington-commanders","30":"tag-washington-dc","31":"tag-washington-redskins","32":"tag-washingtoncommanders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114718861436912749","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}