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Gov. McAuliffe says Virginia aggressively pursuing Redskins stadium project

Posted at 5:29 PM, Aug 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-05 17:40:58-04
Terry McAuliffe

Terry McAuliffe

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe revealed Friday the Commonwealth is “very interested” in pursuing the Washington Redskins stadium project and negotiations have already begun.

McAuliffe spoke with ESPN 980 Friday morning at Redskins Training Camp where he explained why he would like to pursue the project and the potential challenges the state will face.

The Redskins current lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland is not up until 2027, but the team is already looking for a place to build their new home.

“We’re interested. And I think the District is interested. Maryland of course is interested,” said McAuliffe. “It’s got to make sense for the taxpayers of Virginia. You know? We’ve got to negotiate a deal.”

New Redskins Stadium Concept

New Redskins Stadium Concept

McAuliffe said his job is to get economic activity for the state, but he also must protect taxpayer dollars.

“So we’re in negotiations, you know – we’re very aggressive,” he added.

The governor said if they can come up with a creative deal that works for everyone, he can see the team in Virginia at some point.

“If you look at Virginia, we’re 8.5 million people and growing. Great state. We do not have a professional sports franchise here in Virginia believe it or not,” he said. “We’re the only state I believe of our size that doesn’t have one. But we’ve shown our affinity for the Redskins.”

Virginia already has some advantages that would make a stadium in the state very attractive for everyone involved. The state in home to every Redskins player and their practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia.

“All those players – $200 million payroll?  That’s state revenue for the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he said. “Virginians love the Redskins. We love their football, but also the economic impact.”

New Redskins Stadium Concept

New Redskins Stadium Concept

McAuliffe said not only does the player’s income help the Commonwealth, the team receives the majority of their income from Virginia.

“I view this as a Virginia team. I know they’re in Maryland right now, but if you look at a majority of the season ticket holders, they’re Virginians,” said McAuliffe. “As Bruce Allen (Redskin’s team President) was telling me last night, well into the high 60’s of their revenue comes from Virginia residents,” he added.

McAuliffe said he believes those are a few of the reasons why Virginia could be the future home of the Redskins new stadium.

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