Jason Wright, president of the Washington Commanders pro football team, has said no to a possible switch back to the original Redskins name.
Wright said that the Redskins name will likely not return when speaking to 106.7 The Fan. The Washington team slowly phased out the original name after years of controversy over it being allegedly racially insensitive. After two years of it being simply called the “Washington Football Team,” it finally settled on the Washington Commanders in 2022.
“It is not being considered,” Wright said. “Period.”
Team President Jason Wright speaks during the announcement of the Washington Football Team’s name change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField on February 02, 2022, in Landover, Maryland. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Speculation that the team would switch back to the original name sparked when texts surfaced from Matthew Laux, a premium-seat sales manager for the Commanders and FedExField, telling a former luxury-suite season ticket holder, “As a fan of the team I didn’t want [the Redskins name] changed either.”
A spokesperson for the team later told Fox News that the Redskins would not return in response to a petition that garnered over 100,000 signatures.
“For nearly 90 years, this franchise had a different name, and many have fond memories of cheering for that team and watching it win three Super Bowls. This does not signify any shift in our approach nor does it change the valid reasons for dropping the name,” the spokesperson said.
As Breitbart News reported, the Native American group leading the petition to have the Redskins name reinstated, the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA), spoke out against leaders of the Washinton Commanders referring to their group as “fake.”
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
“We’re not a fake group,” co-founder Eunice Davidson told Fox News. “We’re tribal-enrolled members from tribes across the United States.”
“People want to call us fake and they’ve done that before,” Davidson added. “They never tell our story and that’s their goal. To wipe out Native history. It’s discrimination when you go after one culture like this.”
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.