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Washington Redskins Will Change Team Name and Logo

Washington Redskins Will Change Team Name and Logo

The Washington Redskins on Monday announced the team will no longer be called the Washington Redskins, but it didn’t announce the new logo and team name.

“As part of this process, we want to keep our sponsors, fans, and community apprised of our thinking as we go forward,” the team wrote in a statement. “Today, we are announcing that we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review.”

Team owner Dan Snyder and coach Ron Rivera are “working closely” with team officials to develop a new name and design. It’s not clear if the team will retain the same red and yellow color scheme.

But the new name will “enhance the standing of our proud, tradition-rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans, and community for the next 100 years,” according to the statement.

The move came about a week after Snyder announced that the team would review the Redskins name and logo following pressure from activists. After that, Nike and Amazon removed Redskins merchandise from their online stores.

Previously, some Native American groups have argued that the name is racist.

FedEx, the sponsor of the stadium where the team plays, requested that the Redskins change its name.

“We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name,” FedEx said in a statement on Thursday.

Rivera previously said that he was working with Snyder on a name that would pay respect to Native Americans and the military.

“We came up with a couple of names—two of them I really like,” Rivera told The Washington Post earlier this month.

Native American activists have tried to force Snyder to change the name of the team, which was established in 1933. Groups have protested the name and attempted to fight for a name-change in court, all of which have failed.

Snyder in 2013 told USA Today that he would “never change the name” of the team. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins 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,” he said at the time.

“It’s that simple. NEVER—you can use caps,” Snyder said.

The recent country-wide focus on race relations, triggered by the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, has brought more scrutiny to the Redskins name.

Focus News: Washington Redskins Will Change Team Name and Logo