Washington’s NFL team will get rid of the name ‘Redskins’ on Monday, according to multiple reports.
It’s unclear when a new name will be revealed for one of the league’s oldest franchises.
USA Today, ESPN, The Washington Post, Washington Times and Sports Business Journal reported Sunday night that owner Dan Snyder is set to “retire” the name. Yahoo, on Saturday, reported a name change was imminent.
The team launched a ‘thorough review’ of the name July 3 that the NFL supported. That came in the aftermath of prominent sponsors FedEx, Nike, PepsiCo and Bank of America asking the team to change the name.
FedEx is the title sponsor of the team’s stadium in Landover, Maryland, and CEO Frederick Smith is a minority owner. Nike and other companies pulled team gear from their online stores.
Over a dozen Native American leaders and organizations wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last week demanding an immediate end to Washington’s use of the name. In the letter that was obtained by The Associated Press, they said they “expect the NFL to engage in a robust, meaningful reconciliation process with Native American movement leaders, tribes, and organizations to repair the decades of emotional violence and other serious harms this racist team name has caused to Native Peoples.”
Washington also plans to scrap all Native American imagery but would like to retain its original colors of burgundy and gold, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this week.
Snyder has long resisted changing the name, telling USA Today in 2013 he never would. “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps,” he said.
The franchise has been called the “Redskins” since 1933, before it moved from Boston to Washington in 1937.
“Warriors,” a name Snyder was reportedly interested in using for an Arena Football League franchise, is believed to be among the top candidates, reports CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani.
Recently, CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin created a list of possible options.
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins supports “Redtails,” a name that would pay tribute to planes flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, Dajani notes. The Airmen were the first Black military aviators who served in the United States Army during World War II. Three of the first five airmen were from Washington.
It will be a tall task to replace all logos and merchandise and design new uniforms before the beginning of the 2020 season if Washington indeed plans on changing its name immediately. Dajani points out.
