Washington launches official review of football team's name
Over the past few weeks, the Washington football team has faced increased pressure from fans, sponsors and politicians about the offensive nature of their team name. Now, the organization has announced that they are officially launching a review of the team name, which some believe means a change is imminent.
"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," an official statement from the team said.
This week alone, FedEx, which is the namesake sponsor of Washington's stadium, asked the team to change its name and Nike pulled all Washington merchandise off of its website. It appears that the message has reached owner Dan Snyder, who previously dismissed the idea of leaving the offensive name behind.
"This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and local community it is proud to represent on and off the field," Snyder said.
It's worth noting that this wouldn't even be the first time a Washington D.C. team changed its name, as the Washington Bullets changed to the Wizards in 1997. Head coach Ron Rivera seemed to voice his support of the name change in the statement.
"This issue is of personal importance to me and I look forward to working closely with Dan Snyder to make sure we continue the mission of honoring and supporting Native Americans and military."
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