Washington Redskins owner Dan “I will never change the name of my team” Snyder just caved and will change the name of the NFL team.
Sponsors and advertisers have ramped up efforts to boycott the team and put pressure on Snyder to make the change.
They have not released the new name and logo as they are trying to obtain copyrights to their new choice. Trump blasted the move last week saying they were caving to political correctness.
From NBC:
“Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the team said in a press release.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that he was “supportive of this important step.”
Team owner Dan Snyder said he wanted to take into account the “proud tradition and history of the franchise” but also wants to include input from others including the organization, the community and the National Football League.
Snyder told USA Today in 2013 that he would “never change the name.”
“It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps,” he said. But sponsors stepped up the pressure in recent weeks.
The team said in its announcement on Monday that Snyder and head coach Ron Rivera are working to develop a new team name and logo.
FedEx, which owns the naming rights to the field where the team plays, officially requested that it change its name earlier this month.
That came after Adweek reported that 87 investment firms and shareholders worth $620 billion sent a letter urging the shipping company, Nike and PepsiCo to stop doing business with the team until the name was changed.
Amazon last week joined Target and Walmart in refusing to carry merchandise bearing the name.
Washington’s NFL franchise is not the only sports team exploring issues surrounding its name, with Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians also reviewing “the best path forward.”
President Donald Trump has criticized the actions of both teams, calling them “fabled sports franchises.” He tweeted last Monday that the teams “look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct.”
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) July 13, 2020
