Washington Football Team rules out Warriors as potential team name

The Washington Football Team has ruled out the Warriors as a potential new team name. 

Team president Jason Wright said in a statement Monday that the franchise plans to move forward "with no ties to Native American imagery" after talking with Native American leaders and individuals. 

"Feedback from across communities we engaged clearly revealed deep-seated discomfort around 'Warriors,' with the clear acknowledgment that it too closely aligns with Native American themes," Wright said. "Such an embrace of potentially Native-adjacent iconography and imagery would not represent a clear departure that many communities have so forcefully advocated for us to embrace, and that, frankly, we set out to do when we started this process a year ago."

Washington asked season-ticket holders for their input on Warriors and several other names, including Rubies, Pilots, Aces and Wild Hogs.

The franchise plans to unveil a new team name and logo in 2022. Washington retired its old name and logo, which was held for 82 years, before the 2020 season after years of controversy and push-back from Native American groups.