The Washington Redskins could very well rebrand here soon amid backlash regarding the team’s name and its racist history. Washington just recently noted that it is looking into changing its name.
This most-recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter now indicates that major changes could be in store for the NFL franchise.
Washington will remove all Native American imagery when the team changes its name
After years of debate surrounding the team’s name, things have escalated big time in this regard over the past week. FedEx threatened to pull its sponsorship relationship with the Redskins. Nike has removed all Redskins merchandise from its online store. Meanwhile, the organization seems to be taking this much more seriously than in the past.
Will the Redskins change their name ahead of the 2020 NFL season?
That seems improbable. Training camps are getting going within the next few weeks. The shortened preseason slate will start in about a month. It seems impossible that the turnaround time would enable owner Daniel Snyder and the Redskins to change their name ahead of the 2020 season starting Sept. 10.
The likelier scenario is that Washington announces ahead of the 2020 season plans to change its name before the following season.
If the Redskins do rebrand, they are not going to have a single mention of Native Americans. That’s probably the best route to go right now.
One player in D.C. loves this specific team name as a proposal. It has been making the rounds throughout social media, and would pay homage to African-American history.
Either way, it’s certainly something to keep an eye on as this process plays out.