Washington NFL Team Reportedly Expected to Retire Team Nickname Monday
Washington‘s NFL team will reportedly retire its name Monday.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Daily reported the news, noting the NFC East team will not immediately announce its new nickname because of trademark issues but believes it is “important to remove any doubts as to the future of the name.”
What’s more, there is a “sense of urgency” within the team to change the nickname in the immediate future even if there is no established timeline at this point.
This comes after Alison Kosik of CNN Business reported July 3 that FedEx asked the team to change its name, which is all the more notable because the company sponsors and has naming rights for the stadium. The request came because of “growing pressure from investors who oppose the name’s racist connotations.”
On the same day, Washington announced it would “undergo a thorough review of the team’s name.”
Fischer reported FedEx also issued a private letter in addition to its public statements that threatened to remove its name from the stadium if the team did not change its nickname.
On Saturday, Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson appeared on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio with Clarence Hill Jr. and DJ Ringgenberg and said such a nickname change was “imminent” and “could be revealed in the next few days.” Robinson also said other NFL teams were told to remove the name and logo from their platforms.
Robinson reported this on @1033fmESPN on the Saturday Sports Brunch with me and @DJR1033 …podcast coming https://t.co/kvhmG1yjns
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) July 11, 2020
The team has featured its current nickname since 1933 when it played in Boston and kept it when relocating to the nation’s capital prior to the 1937 campaign.
