Commanders Definitive About Not Reviving Redskins Name Amid Viral Petition, Hope By Some Fans
If you're nostalgic, or older, or simply don't like the idea of stuff getting canceled because it is supposedly offensive to everybody, then this is not for you. Because the Washington Commanders have apparently made a significant decision about their nickname.
It's not going to be changed back to Redskins.
"Going back to the old name is not being considered," club president Jason Wright said Wednesday during a segment on 106.7 The Fan in Washington.
"Period," Wright added for emphasis.
President of the Washington Commanders, Jason Wright poses with the artist who designed a custom helmet for Ben's Chili Bowl 65th Anniversary Celebration at Ben's Chili Bowl on August 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images)
Redskins To Commanders To ...
The franchise name was changed from Redskins to Washington Football Team in 2020 and renamed Commanders in 2021 because a significant social justice movement deemed Redskins a racial slur.
Despite this, enough fans to fill a stadium two times over have been hopeful that the change back to Redskins was in the cards. That hope rose when ownership changed hands from Daniel Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris.
Then Magic Johnson, one of the investors and a club minority owner, suggested on the Today Show another name change was possible.
“I think everything’s on the table, especially after this year,” Johnson said. "We'll see we are with the name, but I can't say right now."
Commanders assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, center right, takes a photo with head coach Ron Rivera, right, general manager Martin Mayhew, center left, and team president Jason Wright after an introductory press conference at the OrthoVirginia Training Center in Commanders Park in Ashburn, VA on February 23, 2023. (Photo by Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Commanders Have More Important Issues
Wright has apparently said. And improving the fan experience and winning is tops among those.
"We have three big priorities with new ownership:" he said on the BMitch and Finley show. "Building a championship-caliber team on the field and investing in amenities we need to do so. Improving the guest experience, and re-engaging with the community."
A community of 128,000 people have so far signed a petition from the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) requesting the name be changed back to Redskins.
The fact Native Americans are asking this be done flies counter to the argument that all Native Americans are victimized or offended by the use of the nickname and logo the Washington team used for nine decades.
The NAGA organization recently came under attack by a member of the Commanders sales team in a text exchange with a now-former luxury suite customer. That customer wants the name changed back to Redskins and cited the NAGA petition.
"You understand the people that started this petition is a fake group, right?" Matthew Laux, a premium-seat sales manager for the Commanders and FedEx Field, wrote on August 18 in the text.
Seattle, WA. Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks. Here, Redskins' fans cheer as players take the field for pregame warmups. During the game they will have to battle not only the Seahawks, but the famed 12th man. (Photo by Preston Keres/The The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Some Native Americans Love Redskins
The Redskins name stood for some 90 years. An arrow logo was changed to that of a Native American warrior in full head dress in 1971. It was abandoned, along with the nickname, in 2020.
The previous logo was designed by a man named Walter "Blackie" Wetzel.
Blackie Wetzel was a councilman and chairman of the Blackfeet Nation and president of the National Congress of American Indians. He was known as a staunch advocate for indigenous people.
Wetzel said before his death in 2003 that the logo was inspired by Blackfeet Chief John Two Guns White Calf.
Wetzel's grandson Don wrote an editorial in the Great Falls Tribune. He wrote the logo signaled Blackfeet power and "introduced that power into the minds of our nation and world."
The Washington Redskins won three Super Bowls.
The Washington Football Team and Commanders, the nickname adopted in 2021, are 18-21 during their three seasons.