Virginia General Assembly tables Washington Commanders stadium bill

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders must wait at least until next year to learn whether or not they'll receive any funding for a new stadium in Virginia.

The commonwealth's General Assembly tabled legislation that would have determined the amount of support offered by Virginia. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw told The Associated Press that too many issues needed to be resolved and also blamed the franchise's off-field controversies.

However, he told the AP, they could vote on it next year. The move was expected.

«The vote got tabled because there wasn't support for the stadium for a panalopy of reasons,» said Sen. Chap Petersen, a Democrat who had been a longtime fan of the franchise. He also said recently that after initially supporting the stadium, he would have been a 'no' vote. «For some people there are some systemic issues. I don't believe the team has the type of community backing I would expect from a major pro sports franchise and then all the issues with the owner.»

In a statement, the Commanders said they support the decision to postpone the vote and further examine the situation because of the «complexity of this endeavor, coupled with the remarkable economic development opportunity that we believe our new venue project represents.»

The Commanders also said they look «forward to continued engagement and open dialogue with stakeholders across the Commonwealth to share our vision and hear directly from communities on their economic development objectives and how we can be a trusted, reliable partner to realize those outcomes.»

Washington recently purchased 200 acres of land in Woodbridge, Virginia, with the option of backing out — if they don't get help from the state and Prince William