When the Washington Redskins announced plans to build a football stadium in Laurel a year ago, the team and its owner, Jack Kent Cooke, bubbled with confidence and boasted of the fame and fortune they would bring Maryland.
Now they have fumbled the ball and the fans are leaving the stands.
We thought the Redskins had learned their lesson in Virginia, where their effort to build a football stadium turned into a political and public relations fiasco. When they came to Laurel, team representatives seemed genuinely willing to work with officials and residents. They enlisted citizens to advise them of community concerns and met regularly with residents. But when an Anne Arundel administrative hearing officer refused to grant the zoning exception the team needed, the Redskins' old arrogance returned.
In the last few weeks, the team has managed to offend almost everyone, including some of its strongest supporters.
When the Anne Arundel Trade Council organized a meeting to explore ways to garner support for the stadium, team representatives failed to show. When a task force headed by Dr. Thomas Florestano, former president of Anne Arundel Community College, was organized to help win government approval, the Redskins declined to cooperate and Dr. Florestano quit. And although local leaders have repeatedly sought proof to support claims regarding the stadium's economic impact, the Redskins haven't provided it.
While many opposed the stadium site in suburban Laurel from the start, the stadium's supporters have now dwindled to an all-time low. No one on the Anne Arundel County Council is willing to intervene on the team's behalf. New County Executive John Gary, who met with team officials yesterday, said he intends to uphold the hearing officer's decision unless the Redskins can persuade him of the project's benefits.
Having failed to score at the county level, the Redskins now appear to be taking their ball to state officials. The team fired lobbyist Alan Rifkin and hired Gerard E. Evans and Joel D. Rozner, who have stronger ties to Gov.-elect Parris Glendening and Senate President Mike Miller. In their arrogance, the Redskins may be hoping for a backdoor deal that would circumvent local zoning laws.
The voters surely wouldn't stand for such shady doings. If the Redskins can't deal on the up and up, it's time for them to punt.