The Washington Commanders thought they could finally put their name controversy behind them, but the nation’s capital has a way of relitigating the past.
This offseason, Washington inked a deal to return to their old home on the RFK Stadium site and also reimagined their old Super Bowl era uniforms in what some believe could be a precursor to a jersey rebrand.
Plans for the stadium have stalled while Mayor Muriel Bowser battles with the Washington D.C. council to get it approved. The mayor has expressed concern about the deal, while the Commanders may run into a speedbump for future plans.
Now the Commanders face another potential obstacle en route to a stadium deal, this time against the Commander in Chief. On July 20, President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he could block a deal if the team doesn’t bring back their old name.
‘I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,’ Trump posted on Truth Social.
Here’s a look at how we got here, including the origin of the Commanders’ name change, whether they can change it back and what the President has said about the issue.
Why did the Commanders change their name?
Washington’s NFL franchise introduced the ‘Commanders’ moniker in advance of the 2022 season after two years as the Washington Football Team.
The move was necessitated by the overwhelming pressure that began to mount against the much more controversial namesake.
Originally born into the NFL in 1932 as the Boston Braves, the franchise changed its name after one season to the version considered offensive to Native Americans in 1933. It was a name that remained through the team’s relocation to Washington in 1937 and withstood the test of time until the it couldn’t anymore ahead of the 2020 season.
Following George Floyd’s death in Minnesota, protests broke out across the country in opposition to police brutality and racism. That also put the spotlight on Washington’s team, which began feeling the heat from sponsors like FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo.
Previous owner Dan Snyder was adamant for years that the name would never be changed.
‘We will never change the name of the team,’ Snyder told USA TODAY Sports in 2013. ‘As a lifelong (name) fan, and I think that the (name) fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season.’
Despite years of lawsuits and pressure from Native American groups, Snyder vowed he would never cave on the issue.
‘We’ll never change the name,’ Snyder said at the time. ‘It’s that simple. NEVER – you can use caps.’
However, the sponsors threats were more than enough for Snyder to reconsider his position and the old name was removed ahead of the 2020 season, sparking a search for a new one.
‘We are announcing we will be retiring the (former) name and logo upon completion of this review,’ the team said in a statement and that team officials were ‘working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years.’
What Trump has said about Commanders name change
Trump has been a fixture throughout the Commanders recent rebrands and controversy. The pivot away from the controversial name came during the first Trump administration and now the stadium deal has taken centerstage during the second.
The president has always been opposed to switch, but struck a different chord earlier this month when asked about the team’s move back to the RFK site.
“It doesn’t have the same ring to me,” he told reporters on July 7. “But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So, if they win, all of a sudden, the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn’t have changed it.”
While Trump wasn’t in favor of the move, it was a decidedly different tone than the one he took at the time in 2020.
‘They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct,’ Trump tweeted in response to the initial change.
He renewed that rhetoric on July 20, when he threatened to block the team’s new stadium deal in the district, adding they should immediately bring back the old name.
‘I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,’ Trump later posted.
‘The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone,’ he continued, adding that the Cleveland Guardians should also follow suit.
It’s unclear what power the president has in this case, considering Congress turned over control of the RFK Stadium land to the city with the passage of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act in January.
Will the Commanders change their name?
It’s unlikely a move back to the old controversial nickname will happen, given recent stance from team brass.
If there was any doubt, team owner Josh Harris seemingly put a return to the old name to bed at a press conference in February.
‘Now, in this building, the name Commanders means something,’ Harris said. ‘It’s about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard, mentally tough, great teammates. It’s really meaningful that that name is growing in meaning.’
While the owner acknowledged that the team will honor its past, he pointed out that the name is here to stay.
‘I think it’s now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff. And so we’re going with that,’ Harris said.
Not only have the Commanders shown no interest in reverting to their name, but NFL rules dictate that it might not be a possibility at this time either.
As any name change would also be likely be accompanied with new jerseys, the NFL’s uniform rules come into focus. As detailed in 2002 Resolution G-3 under Article 19 of the NFL’s constitution, a team cannot change its jerseys more than once every five years.
Given that the team just unveiled new jerseys ahead of the 2022 season, they cannot make a switch again until 2027.
There is a clause for ‘extenuating circumstances’ built in that would allow for a faster rebrand. It is determined by the commissioner, but relocation and ownership change are considered extenuating.
Any name change would likely need the approval of the league, as was the case in 2020 when Washington first changed its team nickname to the Commanders.
What Trump has said about the Cleveland Guardians
The Commanders aren’t the only team that faced controversy surrounding their team name. MLB’s Cleveland Guardians also drew the ire of Trump, who suggested they should also bring back their old name.
Cleveland didn’t make the move until ahead of the 2022 MLB season, three years after they dropped the ‘Chief Wahoo’ mascot and logo.
Trump said that it was cancel culture in a 2020 tweet, indicating he was no fan of that decision.
The Guardians arrived at the conclusion to change their name after team owner Paul Dolan changed his stance on the matter, citing a changing world in the aftermath of the social unrest in 2020.
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