New on Sports Illustrated: Washington Football Team Name Could Remain Into 2021 Season

The Washington Football Team moniker might remain into next season.

The Washington Football Team could begin next season with its temporary name, recently hired team president Jason Wright said in an interview with WJLA. 

"There’s a pretty good chance we will be the Washington Football Team next season,” Wright said in the interview, which aired on Tuesday. 

In mid-July, Washington's NFL team announced it would call itself the "Washington Football Team," effective immediately, as it worked to figure out a new name to adopt at a later date. On July 13, the team said it would "retire" its old nickname after facing criticism and pressure from sponsors.

"I think next year is fast because of how the brand has to come together through uniforms, through approval processes through the league," Wright said. 

"We could get there quicker, it's actually pretty hard to get there that quickly because of all the steps that need to happen." 

The team's name change came after several team sponsors, including FedEx, had threatened to end their partnership with the team unless the name was modified. Prior to that, FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo received letters from shareholders and investors challenging them to terminate sponsorships with the franchise unless the change occurred. Nike appeared to remove all Washington gear from its online store soon after. Washington owner Dan Snyder had previously resisted changing the name, even telling USA Today in 2013 to "put it in all caps" that he would never make such a move.

In mid-August, Wright was hired as the team's president, making him the NFL's first-ever Black team president.

October 21, 2020 at 05:33AM
Washington Football Team Name Could Remain Into 2021 Season