The Washington Redskins announced on Friday that they will be giving consideration to changing the name of their franchise, and that may be more than just a stall tactic to appease their critics.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said he was told by several sources that the Redskins are “likely” to change their name.
My understanding of the #Redskins situation, based on conversations with several sources: A name change is likely.
It would truly be a monumental decision. It is time. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement was supportive, as well.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 3, 2020
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said in a statement that the Redskins will conduct an internal review to allow the team to “take into account not only the proud tradition of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent both on and off the field.” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell then released a statement of his own saying he is “supportive of this important step.”
New from @nflcommish pic.twitter.com/mH4s7knM2T
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) July 3, 2020
People have been calling for years for the Redskins to change their name, but Snyder has always resisted those efforts. He may have changed his opinion when FedEx, which holds the naming rights to the team’s stadium, announced this week that they have asked Snyder to change the name. There has also been talk that Snyder will have trouble getting approval to build a new stadium in the District of Columbia if he doesn’t get rid of the Redskins name.
Many places have banned the use of the Redskins name and logo, but that did not seem to bother Snyder in the past. However, a name change is now starting to seem inevitable.
