One Redskins game is just kicking off, and it's going to take a couple of years to play: the battle over where the team will build a new stadium.
On one side is Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who wants to lure the team to Virginia, possibly Loudoun County.
On another: D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans, who wants to keep the Redskins in the nation's capital.
The two faced off on the issue Wednesday. The line of scrimmage was an event in Tysons for the Redskins' charity, which both elected officials attended.
"We have the best site in the metropolitan region, obviously," Evans said. "RFK. You tear down RFK, build a brand new stadium right there. Metro access now, not in 2027, if Metro ever gets out to Loudoun County."
"We're going to do all we can" to persuade Virginia that the team should be based in D.C., Evans said. "Having the Redskins back -- what is it called? The Washington Redskins?" Evans ribbed McAuliffe, who was standing right next to him.
"Yeah, it's a nice little city of 600,000," McAuliffe replied. "I've got eight and a half million people that would want to come to these games."
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The two even took a fist-bumping picture with team owner Dan Snyder, who hasn't said publicly yet what he wants to do.
The Redskins' lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland expires in 2027. The team has made it clear they are interested in a new location, hiring edgy Danish architect Bjarke Ingels Group to come up with a design and beginning to lobby officials in Virginia to raise support for a move.
However, Maryland is expected to try to keep the team in the state, and D.C. has begun a conversation with the federal officials that control RFK about how to use that land, the Washington Post reported. Some elected officials -- including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser -- have expressed concern that the team's name is racist, but they realize that the deal will bring billions in construction investment and economic activity to whichever location wins.
Earlier in the day, at WTOP, McAuliffe said he's prepared to make a deal for the team in Northern Virginia.
"If it makes sense for the taxpayers of Virginia and the folks at the Redskins, then we can come up with a deal."
