The Washington Football Team is now officially the Washington Commanders.
After a year-and-a-half-long rebranding process, Washington unveiled its new name and logo Wednesday on NBC’s “Today” show — announcing that Commanders will be its new moniker.
The announcement followed weeks of speculation that Commanders was the team’s choice, with that buzz reaching a peak the night before when helicopters from local television stations spotted “Washington Commanders” signage inside the team’s stadium. Beyond that, all sorts of other clues emerged: from a website domain name that was updated to unedited footage that appeared to accidentally give the name away.
To get to this point, Washington underwent an extensive rebranding process. It started in July 2020 when the team formally moved on from using the name Redskins — the 87-year-old nickname that owner Dan Snyder once vowed he would never change. But Snyder relented as pressure mounted from corporate sponsors and fans amid a national reckoning over race relations after the murder of George Floyd.
For the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Washington went with the Washington Football Team — a name that was initially mocked but appeared to grow on some as time went on. As those seasons unfolded, the team’s business side was busy sorting through options and mapping out how it wanted the rebrand to unfold.
Washington said it received nearly 40,000 fan suggestions regarding the new name. Along the way, the team provided occasional updates on the process. Team President Jason Wright crafted newsletters for fans, while the marketing team produced behind-the-videos that further moved the needle. The team created a website — “Washingtonjourney.com” — for fans to follow along, introducing “phases” of the rebrand.
Wright, the public face of the process, often said Washington’s next identity would be one that would pay homage to the area — all while reflecting the “ethos” of the fan base. He maintained the team’s iconic color scheme of burgundy and gold would remain the same, and that was indeed the case Wednesday.
In Commanders, Washington picked a name with obvious connections to the District.
“Commander, basically, is Washington D.C,” former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann told CBS Sports Radio on Monday. “A lot of commanders in Washington, D.C., in the Pentagon and a lot of different branches of the service.
“So, to me, that’s really the way I’m looking at it — as positions of leadership when it comes to the new name.”
Theismann’s comments led to debate whether the Super Bowl winner accidentally spoiled the team’s reveal ahead of time. Theismann denied this was the case, texting The Washington Times that no one had tipped him off.
With its military ties, Commanders also satisfies coach Ron Rivera’s preference that the name pay tribute to the armed forces. Rivera grew up in a military household, with his father serving in the Army.
Rivera has said that he hopes Washington’s new name will provide an opportunity to “start fresh.” He told reporters last month that he sees the new name as a chance to “step beyond the shadow of what we’ve had to deal with.”
That, of course, was a reference to the scandals that plagued the team amid the rebrand. Soon after Washington retired “Redskins,” more than 40 former employees said they either experienced or witnessed sexual harassment while working for the team — allegations that led the NFL to fine the franchise $10 million after a nearly year-long investigation.
Other issues popped up, too. Mr. Snyder got into a lengthy legal battle with his now-former minority partners — eventually buying out their 40% share for $875 million that gave him and his family 100% control of the franchise. Mr. Snyder was also accused of impeding the NFL’s investigation into his team, claims that he later denied.
In any event, the NFL said last July that Mr. Snyder was voluntarily taking a step back from day-to-day operations, while his wife, Tanya, was prompted to co-CEO. The team nor the league has said when Mr. Snyder will resume his previous role.
Mr. and Mrs. Snyder were among the team officials on hand at FedEx Field on Wednesday for a press event revealing the new name, with both prepared to deliver remarks.
Still, no matter how much Washington may try to use Commanders as an attempt to define a new era, the franchise will likely have to deal with the fallout from its previous controversies.
On Thursday, members of Congress will host a roundtable featuring former Washington employees to speak about their experiences while working for the team. The event is the latest step taken by the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which launched its own investigation in the fall to examine the league’s handling of Washington’s workplace misconduct review.
Wednesday’s announcement from Washington was also overshadowed by news that rocked the NFL world a day prior. Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the league and its teams in a class-action lawsuit, accusing them of racial discrimination for subjecting Black coaches like himself to “sham” interviews to fulfill the league’s diversity requirements for hires.
Half an hour before the Commanders’ announcement, Mr. Flores was on CBS’ own morning show with lawyers — granting an exclusive interview.
