Trump threatens Washington Commanders' stadium plans if franchise doesn't change name
There's been news off the field as well with the franchise announcing plans to build a new stadium in Washington D.C. The franchise hopes to build on the site of RFK Memorial Stadium where the team played from 1961 to 1996 and is two miles east of the U.S. Capitol building.
Washington may be facing a challenge as well from the highest-ranking elected official in the country.
President Trump posted on Truth Social that he may restrict the team from building on the old RFK Stadium site if it doesn't change its name.
"I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington (name),' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington," Trump posted.
He continued: "The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone." He went on to state that the Cleveland Guardians should do the same and change the franchise name back to its former name.
Washington also faces some question marks with getting that deal with Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser needing to get approval from the D.C. Council.
"I would put my level of concern – because when you're a big city mayor you're concerned about everything – I'll put it at a four [out of five]," Bowser said earlier this month.
Washington started out as the Boston Braves back in 1932 before changing its name in 1933. The franchise kept its now-former name when it relocated from Boston to Washington D.C. in 1937 and it remained for decades.
WASHINGTON UNIFORMS: Commanders reveal alternate uniforms that nod to their Super Bowl glory
In July 2020, the franchise dropped the name and logo.
"We are announcing we will be retiring the (former) name and logo upon completion of this review," the team said in a statement at the time and that team officials were "working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years."
The franchise went by the name Washington Football team for the 2020 and 2021 NFL seasons before rebranding as the Washington Commanders ahead of the 2022 season.
This isn't the first time Trump's voiced his dislike for the Commanders name. When asked about the stadium plans earlier in July, Trump said he wouldn't have changed the name in the first place.
"It just doesn't have the same, it doesn't have the same ring to me," he said. 'But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn't have changed the name.'
A new stadium is one of the top priorities of the Commanders' new ownership group led by Josh Harris. That group finished a deal to buy the team in May 2023 and are hoping to finish construction by the 2030 NFL season.
In the meantime, the team would continue to play its home games at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
The team has not released a statement in response to Trump's comments at time of publishing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Travis Hunter will 'flip-flop' between offense and defense during Jagaurs training camp
The Jacksonville Jaguars made a bold move in the 2025 NFL Draft, trading up to select two-way prospect Travis Hunter with the No. 2 overall selection. In order to maximize Hunter's skill set, the team will allow the rookie to "flip-flop" between offense and defense during training camp. Jaguars head coach Liam Cohen said Wednesday that the team has mapped out Hunter's schedule for training camp, which includes some days where he will play both wide receiver and cornerback in a single practice, per ESPN. "You want to give him a couple days offense, a couple days defense, and then give him an opportunity to go flip-flop within the same practice and then that will kind of become the norm," Coen said after the Jaguars finished their first workout at the Miller Electric Center adjacent to EverBank Stadium. "... Every moment, every minute that he is in the building, it is accounted for and trying to make sure that we maximize his time, our time so that we can ultimately get the best outcome." That's a change from how the team approached Hunter's workload during offseason workouts. Hunter primarily appeared on offense during team activities in the offseason, though that was a calculated decision. The Jaguars wanted Hunter to get more familiar with the complexities of the team's offense — including its audibles and line checks — which led to the rookie getting more time at wide receiver initially. But the team wants to keep Hunter fresh on both sides of the ball moving forward, which is why he will spend time in both roles — sometimes in the same practice — during training camp. Cohen said the team learned during the offseason that allowing Hunter to focus on one role could take away from his ability to stay fresh at the other, which also played into the decision to move Hunter around during camp. Hunter's deployment as a rookie will be fascinating. While some NFL players have played both ways — see Hunter's college coach Deion Sanders — few have entered the NFL intent on playing both offense and defense. And while Sanders was able to do it during his career, he really only had one season in which he played major roles at cornerback and wide receiver. Hunter will be looking to play two positions immediately. He excelled in that role at Colorado, hauling in 15 touchdowns as a receiver and winning the Chuck Bednarik award for his prowess as a cornerback. But taking on that workload in the NFL will be a new challenge. The Jaguars knew that would be the case when the team traded up for Hunter. Now, it's up to the franchise to figure out the best way to maximize his potential.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Travis Hunter will 'flip-flop' between offense and defense during Jaguars training camp
The Jacksonville Jaguars made a bold move in the 2025 NFL Draft, trading up to select two-way prospect Travis Hunter with the No. 2 overall selection. In order to maximize Hunter's skill set, the team will allow the rookie to "flip-flop" between offense and defense during training camp. Jaguars head coach Liam Cohen said Wednesday that the team has mapped out Hunter's schedule for training camp, which includes some days where he will play both wide receiver and cornerback in a single practice, per ESPN. "You want to give him a couple days offense, a couple days defense, and then give him an opportunity to go flip-flop within the same practice and then that will kind of become the norm," Coen said after the Jaguars finished their first workout at the Miller Electric Center adjacent to EverBank Stadium. "... Every moment, every minute that he is in the building, it is accounted for and trying to make sure that we maximize his time, our time so that we can ultimately get the best outcome." That's a change from how the team approached Hunter's workload during offseason workouts. Hunter primarily appeared on offense during team activities in the offseason, though that was a calculated decision. The Jaguars wanted Hunter to get more familiar with the complexities of the team's offense — including its audibles and line checks — which led to the rookie getting more time at wide receiver initially. But the team wants to keep Hunter fresh on both sides of the ball moving forward, which is why he will spend time in both roles — sometimes in the same practice — during training camp. Cohen said the team learned during the offseason that allowing Hunter to focus on one role could take away from his ability to stay fresh at the other, which also played into the decision to move Hunter around during camp. Hunter's deployment as a rookie will be fascinating. While some NFL players have played both ways — see Hunter's college coach Deion Sanders — few have entered the NFL intent on playing both offense and defense. And while Sanders was able to do it during his career, he really only had one season in which he played major roles at cornerback and wide receiver. Hunter will be looking to play two positions immediately. He excelled in that role at Colorado, hauling in 15 touchdowns as a receiver and winning the Chuck Bednarik award for his prowess as a cornerback. But taking on that workload in the NFL will be a new challenge. The Jaguars knew that would be the case when the team traded up for Hunter. Now, it's up to the franchise to figure out the best way to maximize his potential.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NFL offseason power rankings: No. 5 Buffalo Bills try again to get past Chiefs to the Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs are the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls, making so many Super Bowls that it's hard for anyone else to get a piece of the action. That makes the Buffalo Bills the Charles Barkley of this era. Maybe that makes the Baltimore Ravens the modern day Patrick Ewing. Or they can call dibs on John Stockton and Karl Malone. Maybe Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. It's impossible to talk about the Josh Allen Bills (or the Lamar Jackson Ravens, which we'll get to later in the countdown) without talking about the Chiefs. This era of Bills football has been tremendous. The franchise didn't win one playoff game from the end of the 1995 season to the 2020 season, Josh Allen's third season. They went 17 seasons without making the playoffs at all. Now the Bills are playoff regulars. They've won five AFC East titles in a row after going 24 seasons without winning one. Allen won NFL MVP last season, becoming the first Bills quarterback to ever win the award. It has been a glorious stretch for Buffalo. And yet, for all of the excitement Allen has created, and for all of the team success after nearly a quarter century of ineptitude, it has also been very frustrating. That's because of Mahomes and the Chiefs. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Four of the last five seasons have ended with a playoff loss to the Chiefs. Last season, it happened in the AFC championship game, with a 32-29 loss at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bills were close, like they were at Kansas City three seasons before when they took a lead with 13 seconds left in regulation and somehow lost. Had a quarterback sneak been measured differently in last season's AFC championship game, or a fourth-down heave been brought in by Dalton Kincaid, or if any number of plays that can turn a three-point playoff game had gone in Buffalo's direction, they might have been in the Super Bowl. That's the theme of this otherwise successful decade for Buffalo. It seems like, in an alternate universe in which Mahomes and the Chiefs weren't a powerhouse, Allen would have at least one ring by now and maybe more. They're good enough. The Chiefs have just been better when it mattered most. There's a very real possibility of Allen or Jackson, two of the great quarterbacks of this era, finishing their careers without a Super Bowl appearance because the Chiefs seem to make it every season. That makes it hard for Bills fans to enjoy the plentiful success their team has had. All the Bills can do now is to keep trying to make a Super Bowl with a Super Bowl-level team. "If you tell me, next year, I'll sign up for it, to be in the AFC championship game, down three, with three-whatever to go in the game, and we got No. 17? I'll sign up for that again and take our chances," Bills GM Brandon Beane said after the season, via "You've got to do a lot of things very well to be in that position." [Get more Buffalo news: Bills team feed] The Bills will have to depend on variance to get them over the hump, because the roster is mostly the same. Continuing to take shots with the same strong core is the smart approach. There weren't many huge additions. Defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi were added, but both will serve six-game suspensions for violating the league's PED policy. Defensive end Joey Bosa is a big name but games missed due to injuries have been more frequent than sacks for him the past few seasons. Receiver Josh Palmer was signed to a surprising three-year, $29 million deal, and perhaps he moves the needle more than expected, but he has never been an impact player before. The draft brought some defensive help, but every other AFC contender had draft picks too, and most of them picked before Buffalo. And there's nothing wrong with running it back with mostly the same roster, in addition to some gambles on a few flawed veterans. The Bills had a tremendous offense led by the MVP and the defense has been consistently good under Sean McDermott's watch. They haven't gotten to the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean they can't. The Bills just have to figure out how to finally beat the Chiefs. Easier said than done. Offseason grade The Bills used their first five draft picks on defense, and four of their top five free agent additions were on defense, too. Buffalo is banking on Josh Allen keeping the offense at an elite level and the defensive additions leading an improvement. Defensive line additions Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi are all gambles, because of Bosa's injury history and Hoecht and Ogunjobi serving six-game suspensions for violations of the PED policy. First-round pick Maxwell Hairston should start at cornerback, and familiar face Tre'Davious White was brought back to help at corner too. The lone offseason addition on offense who looks like a potential contributor is receiver Joshua Palmer, who got $29 million over three years but never turned an opportunity with the Chargers into much, putting up 1,165 yards and three touchdowns the past two seasons combined. The Bills shouldn't have been seeking a big makeover, and they didn't have the cap space for it anyway. They did the best with what they had to work with. Grade: B- Quarterback report The Bills' offseason philosophy was that Josh Allen had enough help on offense. That's probably not wrong after the Bills finished second in the NFL in points scored. There's an argument to be made that Allen could be even better with more help, particularly if he had a Pro Bowl level receiver. Just don't bring that up to Bills general manager Brandon Beane, who went off on the topic on "The Jeremy and Joe" radio show in Buffalo. "Well, you guys were b****ing in 2018 about Josh Allen, you guys wanted Josh Rosen, and now you guys are b****ing that we don't have a receiver," Beane said. " ... We just scored 30 points in a row for eight straight games. A year ago, I get you guys asking why we didn't have receivers, but I don't understand it now. You just saw us lead the league in points, when you add all the postseason, no one scored more points than the Buffalo Bills, including the Super Bowl champions. So, you just saw us do it without Stefon Diggs, same group. How is this group not better than last year's group? Our job is to score points and win games. Where do we need to get better? Defense. We did that. So, I get it, you got to have a show, and you got to have something to b**** about, but b***ing about wide receiver is one of the dumbest arguments I've heard." OK then. BetMGM odds breakdown From Yahoo's Ben Fawkes: 'Is this finally the year for Buffalo? Coming off an MVP campaign, Josh Allen's Bills are one of four teams with a win total of 11.5 at BetMGM and are the only NFL team projected to be favored in all 17 games this season. And not only are the Bills favored in every game, but they are at least 5.5-point favorites in 11 of those games. The Bills have gone over their win total in seven of the eight seasons under head coach Sean McDermott. The AFC playoffs should run through Buffalo." Yahoo's fantasy take From Yahoo's Scott Pianowski: 'Although Ray Davis is about 30 pounds heavier than teammate James Cook, don't overlook what Davis can do in the passing game. Davis was a reliable pass-catcher during his itinerant college days, and he secured 17-of-19 opportunities last year, making a juicy 9.9 yards per target. We've already had a look at what Davis might do in a featured role — he picked up a midseason start last year and rolled for 152 total yards. With Cook undersized and unhappy about his contract, Davis is one of the more interesting speculative plays on the board." Stat to remember The Bills led the NFL in turnover margin last season at +24. The next best team was +16. The Bills lapped the field in turnover margin, and that will be tough to replicate. A big factor in turnover margin was an offense that never turned the ball over. They had just six interceptions and two fumbles lost. Part of that is having an elite quarterback. But it's still incredibly low and unsustainable. Fumble luck was really in Buffalo's favor: The Bills recovered a league-leading 68.1% of fumbles, and only one other team was above 56.6%. That won't repeat either. The Bills' defense also thrived on forcing turnovers. They forced 32, which was just one off the NFL lead. After three straight seasons finishing in the top nine in points and yards allowed, the Bills slipped to 17th in yards allowed and 11th in points allowed (they were 11th in defensive DVOA, if you prefer advanced stats), and that was with the benefit of all those interceptions and fumbles recovered. The Bills are going to have to improve on defense to offset the inevitable regression in takeaways and turnover margin. That's why they spent many resources on that side of the ball. Burning question Does it matter who plays around Josh Allen? Brandon Beane's rant aside, it is true that the Bills have a lesser cast of supporting players for their quarterback than other AFC contenders. That's how voters justified picking for Allen as MVP, though they acknowledged Lamar Jackson was the better quarterback by voting him on the All-Pro first-team. And one of Allen's most productive teammates, James Cook, unsuccessfully spent most of the offseason trying to get a new contract after scoring a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns and 18 overall TDs. The Bills need to hope the contract angst doesn't affect his play. Ray Davis is an interesting second-year backup behind Cook, if needed. There is some upside among the skill-position group, especially with Allen elevating everyone. Keon Coleman was a second-round pick last year and was making strides before a wrist injury set him back. Khalil Shakir didn't break out but he was a reliable target who posted 821 yards. Tight end Dalton Kincaid still has potential to be a top target, although his 2024 was disappointing, with just 448 yards. Though the answer is probably that it doesn't really matter who is playing around Allen; he won MVP last season and led the NFL's second-highest scoring offense with this same cast. Best-case scenario The Bills have been one of the best teams in the NFL this decade. Here are their DVOA ranks as a team, starting in 2020: 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 4th. That's remarkable. Bills fans would have been overjoyed to hear that news at any point from 2000-2016, when they missed the playoffs every season. But in this championship-centric era of sports, nobody is going to end up caring too much if the Josh Allen era doesn't end with a championship. That's unfortunate but it's not changing. The good news is the Bills haven't overreacted to close losses in a one-and-done playoff format. They realize they have a top-five team in the NFL, so they've maintained the status quo and hope that eventually they'll catch the right breaks in the postseason. Buffalo should have a fantastic offense again, Josh Allen could win another MVP, the defense could rebound back to a top-10 level, the Bills should run away with the AFC East, and yes, maybe they can finally catch some green lights in the inevitable playoff matchup against the Chiefs and move on to a Super Bowl. Nightmare scenario Among all 32 teams, the Bills are by far the biggest favorite to win their division at BetMGM. They're -250 to win the AFC East and that's fair. There's no serious contender to them. But how long will that be the case? The Patriots just had a great offseason, have a young quarterback they love (Josh Allen loves him too) and hired a top-tier coach. Buffalo seems like a near-lock to win the AFC East, if Allen stays healthy, but their reign over the AFC East might not last forever. There is urgency to break through and win a championship. Nobody knows when the window will close. The Bills are an obvious contender again. But getting back to the playoffs and losing to the Chiefs, Ravens or anyone else in the AFC would be crushing for a fan base that is still waiting for its first Super Bowl championship. It's hard to go into a season in which anything less than a Super Bowl appearance would feel like a failure, but there's nowhere else for the Bills to go. The crystal ball says The AFC is really good at the top. The Chiefs are in a dynasty, the Ravens were really good last season and should be again this season, and there are teams like the Bengals, Chargers and Broncos who are capable of improvement and making a run in the playoffs. There's no reason to disparage the Bills. Josh Allen is great, they're balanced on both sides of the ball and clearly capable of winning a championship. But in a league with a lot of worthy contenders, I have two AFC teams ahead of the Bills. It's hard to choose among the top three in the conference. The separation is slight. Whether the Bills break through will just depend on their luck running well in January. That has eluded this group so far.
