Washington Redskins Organization Announces It Is Retiring Team Name & Logo

The Washington Redskins announced on Monday that it is officially retiring its controversial team name and the logo that accompanies it.

In a tweet Monday morning, the team released a statement saying that it has completed a review of the name and logo and that the decision has been made to retire the name.

“On July 3rd, we announced the commencement of a thorough review of the team’s name… Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the tweet read in part.

Ten days ago, as reported at the time by The Inquisitr, the Redskins announced the review of the team’s name and logo referenced in Monday’s tweet. The move came as one of the team’s biggest sponsors, FedEx, asked the team to change its name. FedEx’s name adorns the name of the field on which the team plays — FedEx Field — and, as The Washington Post reported, the company had purportedly threatened to withdraw from its $205 million naming-rights deal with the team if the name wasn’t changed.

In a broader sense, the request to reconsider the team’s name and logo came as several brands, such as Aunt Jemima, announced plans to rethink their names and product imagery in the wake of the George Floyd protests, which have shone a light on racism in multiple aspects of daily life, including consumer goods and, as it applies to the Redskins, the names of sports teams.

The Redskins became a team in 1932, according to Football Nation, having previously played in Boston as the Boston Braves. However, when the team moved, then co-owner George Preston Marshall changed the name to the Redskins. According to legend, the name was intended to honor its then-coach, William Henry “Lone Star” Dietz, who was purportedly Native American.

The team faced pressure from Native American groups for decades, calling the name and the imagery offensive. However, the team had steadfastly refused to change its name or logo, sticking to the narrative that it came from a place of honoring Native Americans.

Team owner Dan Snyder had said as recently as 2014 that the team would never change its name, as USA Today reported at the time.

Now, however, it appears that Snyder is on board with changing the team’s name, as he’s mentioned by name in the team’s Monday morning tweet.

“Dan Snyder and Coach Rivera are working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition rich [sic] franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years,” the statement read.

As of this writing, the team has not announced a new name or logo, nor a timeline for when those will be revealed.