The Washington Football Team may not just be a placeholder name after all.
Washington president Jason Wright said on Tuesday that the WFT name may end up becoming the permanent team name after all.
“There are a set of folks that have warmed to the Washington Football Team,” Wright said, via ESPN. “Some of the things that are emerging from that are the Washington Football Team has something that ties deeply to our history. It feels like that isn’t jettisoning all the things we have been in the past, whereas something that’s completely new might feel that way.
“It’s important for a substantial part of our fan base to feel that this is a continuation of something versus a complete reset, something brand new.”
Washington announced last year that it was going to ditch its old, racist nickname and committed to rebranding after criticism had been mounting for years — something team owner Daniel Snyder had previously promised never to change. He only caved after several prominent sponsors started pressuring him to do so. Nike even briefly pulled all Washington gear from its website.
The team played under the “Washington Football Team” nickname last season, and will do so again this fall. Wright said Tuesday that the team will have a permanent name ready for the 2022 season, though did not say when specifically that name would be announced. The team will keep the same color scheme, too.
“The sooner the better — that’s one thing I hear from the fan base,” Wright said, via ESPN. “I would like it sooner than later, but it’s hard to commit to timing because the importance here is thoroughness, rigor and ensuring that we have been inclusive of all the folks that we need to listen to. That works against speed in some ways, but we’re moving as fast as possible.
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