Jay Gruden was the head coach of the Washington Football Team before they became the Washington Football Team, and he made it clear this week that he does not think the name change should have ever taken effect.
Gruden coached Washington from 2014-2019. He heard countless debates during that span about how the Redskins needed to drop their name, and they eventually did. The team announced this week that an official new name and logo will be unveiled next month. During an appearance on The Team 980’s “Russel & Medhurst” show Tuesday, Gruden said Washington should have stuck with Redskins.
“I don’t want to ruffle any feathers,” Gruden said, via Nick Selbe of SI.com. “But they should’ve never changed the name in the first place.”
Gruden opened his interview by mocking people who have taken a great interest in the name change.
“Are you guys just trying to figure out the new name? It’s so exciting,” he said. “I don’t think anybody really cares other than you guys.”
There are plenty of people who feel the same way as Gruden, but Dan Snyder’s team basically had no choice. Pressure had begun to mount from fans, executives and sponsors. It wasn’t until Washington began facing real financial consequences that they finally made the switch.
Gruden went 35-49-1 in five-plus seasons with Washington. He’ll probably have a prominent role in Robert Griffin III’s upcoming tell-all book.
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