Commanders hire top Senate aide Kirtan Mehta to assist with stadium effort
Last year, Josh Harris paid more than $6 billion for a team that needs a renovation and a stadium that needs a replacement.
The new Commanders owner has taken a tangible step toward addressing the latter challenge.
Via Hans Nichols of Axios.com, Josh Harris has hired top Senate aide Kirtan Mehta to assist with the effort to find a new home for the team.
Mehta most recently served as the Chief of Staff for Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).
It's unclear whether the Commanders hope to return to the site of RFK Stadium, whether they intend to remain in Maryland, or whether they'd like to break new ground in Virginia.
"As the NFL franchise representing our nation's capital, the Commander's relationships with federal and local leaders are vital to our organization," team president Jason Wright said, via Nichols. "We're confident that Kirtan will partner powerfully with them to advance community and policy efforts that benefit our fans and the area at large."
A return to D.C. would potentially invigorate the fan base. Still, it's fundamentally a leverage play. To get the best deal, the Commanders need to make D.C., Maryland, and Virginia think they have a real chance — and to hope that they each act accordingly, in order to give the Commanders the best possible stadium deal.
