Collapse of NBA, NHL arena deal prompts recriminations, allegations of impropriety in Virginia

Source: Associated Press

Collapse of NBA, NHL arena deal prompts recriminations, allegations of impropriety in Virginia

BY SARAH RANKIN AND MATTHEW BARAKAT
Updated 4:28 PM EDT, April 1, 2024

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The majority owner of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, Ted Leonsis, told a crowd in December he had “goosebumps” at the thought of moving his NBA and NHL teams from Washington to Virginia, “if all goes as planned.”

It did not.

Leonsis’ handshake deal with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to relocate the teams to a taxpayer-backed arena in Alexandria collapsed Wednesday, weeks after a bumpy slog of a defeat in the Virginia General Assembly. Leonsis, apparently not willing to wait for a second shot in Virginia, reemerged in Washington, which had offered his Monumental Sports & Entertainment a more than half-billion-dollar arena deal to stay.

The demise of the project, a top priority for Youngkin, set off an extraordinary round of bitter recriminations among Virginia officials and companies that were parties to the deal, including allegations of possible impropriety and slander. It also sparked fears about impacts to the state’s future economic development prospects.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-capitals-glenn-youngkin-ted-leonsis-arena-virginia-21f2d3fec883127e08b07610a70220ce