The Washington Redskins appear to at least be considering a change to their controversial team name, The Washington Post is reporting.
The National Football League team released a statement Friday morning, announcing a “thorough review” of the name. This comes after FedEx – which owns the stadium naming rights for the Washington team – made a formal request of the team to change the name. And after Nike removed all Redskins team apparel from its website as well.
“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,” the statement read. “This review formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks.”
Team owner Dan Snyder has resisted a change to the name in the past, but said in the statement that the review process will allow the team to get more input.
“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 the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field,” Snyder said in the statement.
New head coach Ron Rivera – who had been the coach of the Carolina Panthers – said the issue was important to him.
“This issue is of personal importance to me and I look forward to working closely with Dan Synder to make sure we continue the mission of honoring and supporting Native Americans and our Military,” Rivera said.
Given the resistance from Snyder in the past, formally reviewing the name would likely indicate the name change could be coming. In a Tweet, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter said: “And let’s be clear: There’s no review if there’s no change coming.”
