The Washington Commanders have made a final decision on whether they will revert to their former “Redskins” name following pleas from fans, as well as a viral petition written up by a Native American faction.
The team is heading into the 2023 season under new ownership, with a group led by Josh Harris and including Michael Rales taking over from Dan Snyder during the offseason.
Rales recently announced a team decision on the matter. And, while the team may consider another name change, the Redskins moniker isn’t coming back.
Speaking at an event in D.C., Rales told an audience of nearly 700 people that the team won’t be reverting.
“That ship has sailed,” he was quoted as saying by the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. “We’re not going to re-litigate the past. We’re about the future. We’re about building the future and not having a divisive culture that we’re engaged in.
“We’re going to look at everything come the end of the year and think about a lot of different things and do a lot of testing and see what people think. And we’ll learn. The beauty is we have the time to look at all of this stuff intelligently and make fan-based decisions.”
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Rales isn’t the only member of the Commanders’ top brass to oppose a return to the Redskins.
Last week, President Jackson Wright said the name is “not being considered” while speaking on a radio show last week.
The team could settle on a fourth name in recent times, having gone from Redskins to Football Team to Commanders over the last few years. But it’s going to be a completely new one.
