Commanders president puts end to name change speculation

Wright responded to speculation that began shortly after the franchise was officially sold to Josh Harris and several minority investors in July. 

One of those with a smaller stake in the team is Basketball Hall of Famer and businessman Magic Johnson, who told "The Today Show" in July that "we'll see where we are with the name, but I can't say [for sure] right now." 

Later that afternoon during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," ESPN's Don Van Natta said that the team would consider moving on from "Commanders" as a way to remove any lasting image of the Daniel Snyder era.

Immediately, critics of the Commanders branding seized the opportunity to petition a revival of the franchise's original name, the Redskins (as well as one Native American group, oddly enough). The former name has long been considered offensive to Native Americans, with several groups engaged in a protracted fight against the franchise to change its name. Those efforts, along with increased political, social and financial pressures, compelled Snyder, now the former owner of the team, to change the name twice — first to the placeholder Washington Football Team, then to the Commanders.

The Commanders name wasn't exactly a popular option among fans when the team went through its selection process. Considering the presence of the United States military command and support services in the DMV, it appeared to be the path of least resistance. However, that name seems to be widely disliked, hence Johnson's response in July.

The idea that a third name change would wipe away the stench of the Snyder era is a noble one but superficial at best. The Los Angeles Clippers, a team that experienced similar dysfunction from years of losing basketball and thrifty ownership, didn't take the same approach after the NBA forced the disgraced Donald Sterling out of the league and pushed a sale to former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer. The Clippers have since become one of the better franchises in the league despite underachieving as title contenders for several seasons. 

Harris, Johnson and the rest of the new ownership certainly understand that reforming the old ways of the Commanders takes more than another rebrand.