The eve of the Fourth of July can now be remembered as the Third of Never in the nation’s capital.
The Redskins revealed Friday a formal “thorough review” of the team’s name, which is a disparaging slang term for Native Americans. The expected result is a name change — possibly before the regular season begins Sept. 10 — as first reported by The Washington Post.
It is a major reversal by team owner Dan Snyder, who has resisted calls for change for two decades and proclaimed in 2013: “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”
What changed?
FedEx — the name sponsor of the football stadium on a $205 million contract signed in 1998 — asked for a name change, and Nike pulled team merchandise on sale from its website. Those two companies and PepsiCo. were called on last week by a collective of investment firms and shareholders to terminate sponsorships with the franchise.
“We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name,” FedEx’s statement read.
Nike, which produces the official uniforms and branded gear, later added, “We have been talking to the NFL and sharing our concerns regarding the name of the Washington team. We are pleased to see the team taking a first step towards change.”
The obvious omission of the name underscores the public pressure applied.
“In light of recent events around our country and feedback from our community, the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team’s name,” the team’s statement read. “This review formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently admitted a misstep in not listening to players on racism and police brutality and is encouraging peaceful protests like those that ultimately might have contributed to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick falling out of the league. He supports Snyder’s latest step.
“In the last few weeks we have had ongoing discussions with Dan,” Goodell said in a statement, “and we are supportive of this step.”
Founded as the Boston Braves, Redskins was adopted in 1933 and stuck after relocation. The five-time league champions (three Super Bowl wins) played at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. from 1961-96, before moving to Landover, Md.
A statue of former owner George Preston Marshall, who was forced to racially integrate the roster as the last in the NFL to do in 1962, was removed from outside RFK Stadium last month. It was vandalized with the phrase “Change the name.”
Miami University in Ohio changed the name of its sports teams to RedHawks beginning in the 1997-98 amidst calls for change from Native American groups that the pro football team has resisted.
Snyder grew up a Redskins fan and long maintained the name and mascot — some fans wear headdresses in the stands — are a tribute to Native American culture.
The consideration to change his stance comes during a course-correcting moment in history, sparked by the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. Since then, social unrest is growing as monuments are falling and Confederate flags are being banned.
“This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise,” Snyder said, “but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field.”
Disruption to traditionalist fans could be minimized by keeping team colors and using an alternate name like Warriors or Hogs (a nickname for the team’s offensive line in the 1980s).
Snyder trademarked Washington Warriors from 2000-04, when he planned to use it on an Arena Football League expansion team that never materialized.