The attorney general for the District of Columbia contends that the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals are obligated to play their games in the downtown arena through 2047, the city’s latest salvo to keep the teams from leaving.
In a letter Brian Schwalb wrote this week to Monumental Sports and Entertainment that was obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, Schwalb cited a 2007 bond agreement for renovations that extended the teams’ lease for 20 more years beyond the initial timeframe through 2027.
The letter comes as Monumental’s $2 billion plan for a new arena across the Potomac River in Alexandria has stalled in the Virginia legislature.