One of the bigger storylines in the NFC East this year is that Dan Snyder has finally been shown the exit from the NFL. Josh Harris, a 58-year-old billionaire and long-time fan of the franchise, is the managing partner of the Washington Commanders' new ownership group.
He's also indicated that the name Commanders is not long for this world but is the connection to the name Redskins enough for him to change it back?
The name, though presented as honoring Native Americans, does have a problematic history.
Petition Gathering Steam
As of this writing, close to 50,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the Washington Redskins be returned to the NFL.
Harris says this: ”It's hard to imagine but I've seen the numbers. The Commanders were once the #1 franchise in the NFL back when they were the Redskins. Not the Dallas Cowboys.”
Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera has reportedly indicated that the name is still used within the Washington organization.
So it would seem that the opening is there to bring back the traditional name of the team — although not the original name.
We Were Once Braves
The franchise originally played in Boston as the Boston Braves in 1932. They played at Braves Field.
After one season — to separate themselves from the National League baseball team — they switched to Redskins.
In 1937 the team relocated to Washington D.C.
They would remain the Redskins through the 2019 season before becoming “The Football Team” for two years.
They renamed themselves “Commanders” starting last year.
For years, pressure was put on to scrap the Redskins name without success. In a last-minute bid to save himself and his ownership, Snyder finally relented.
It didn't work. Especially since the Washington fanbase hated both of the new names almost as much as they hated Snyder.
Will The Redskins Return?
Clearly, a majority of the fanbase in Washington — as well as NFL fans in general and a majority of Native Americans according to reliable polling — want the Redskins back.
My two cents here is that I'd like to see it happen.
During my career as a sportswriter, I covered sports on several Native American reservations.
I saw plenty of Redskins gear everywhere I went. I never encountered a single person who wanted the name changed.
And there was something about the Cowboys-Redskins rivalry unmatched in any other sport.
A staple at Cowboys-Redskins games — especially at Texas Stadium — was Crazy Ray (Wilford Jones) and Chief Zee (Zema Williams).
The two men would appear at the games in cowboy and Indian costumes and entertain the crowd with their antics. It added another layer to the rivalry.
The question is: Does Harris want to deal with the headache that will come from certain quarters if he brings back the Redskins?
Especially with the current leadership at the NFL's headquarters in New York. Recall what happened to Ezekiel Elliott.
Catering to the outrage mob, Roger Goodell ignored his league's own investigator — a woman at that — who did not find Elliott's accuser credible.
Goodell dropped the ban hammer on Elliott for six games. He also derailed the Cowboys' season at the same time.
Then he used Roger Staubach, Jason Witten, and Troy Aikman as human shields in the 2018 NFL Draft in Dallas to deflect the reception he knew he would get.
Would you really want to go into the kind of battle Harris would face by bringing back the Redskins with that guy supposedly having your back?
Yeah. Me neither.
An Alternate Path
There might be a way to honor the tradition of the franchise without ripping open old wounds.
How does the name Washington Warriors sound?
You could bring back the old logo, or even modify the logo from the late 1960s. Either one would work with the new name.
In fact, a gentleman by the name of Andrew Herbert has created some very good logos for a potential Washington Warriors football team in D.C.
They incorporate the old spear logo on the Redskins helmets in the late 1960s. They look really good, in my opinion.
If the old Indian head logo is considered unacceptable then these logos would still have a traditional connection to the franchise's history.
And Warriors would still be a respectful way to honor the Native Americans as well as give them a team they can support without the problematic Redskins name hovering overhead.
This might be the one and only option that would make everyone happy.
