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The Washington Commanders are working towards building a new stadium on the site of the old RFK Stadium. U.S. President Donald Trump has even been supportive of this idea in the past. But Trump issued a threat against the Commanders on Sunday that could complicate the entire plan.
Trump made a pair of sensational posts on his social media platform on Sunday. In the posts, he insisted that the Commanders and the MLB's Cleveland Guardians restore Native American-based names that were previously abandoned.
“I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a stadium in Washington,” Trump wrote in one post.
The Commanders have yet to issue a response to Trump's comments. Mike Florio believes that is a big mistake.
ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio called out the Commanders for not responding to the latest threat about changing the team's name.
Florio praised the Guardians for issuing a brief statement in response to Trump's posts.
“I understand there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago,” Guardians president Chris Antonetti said on Sunday, per The Athletic's Zack Meisel. “But it's a decision we made and we've gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and we're excited about the future that's in front of us.”
However, the Commanders have no followed suit.
Commanders, NFL are in delicate situation following latest Trump comments
Florio reported that he reached out to the Commanders and NFL for comment, but did not get a response.
Florio added that he understands the pickle that Washington and the league are in. Trump could make it difficult for the Commanders to build on the RFK site. The Commanders do not want that to happen.
“That said, it’s easy to understand the paralysis that the Commanders and the NFL may be feeling,” Florio wrote on Monday. “They’re in a minefield on this one. If they make one false move, they’ll be on the wrong end of an executive order. Or maybe a red-state, Bud Light-style boycott.”
The Commanders and the NFL need to consider their next move carefully.
It will be interesting to see how this situation develops over the coming weeks.
