Washington Redskins retire name and logo following internal review

Thorough review: The Washington Redskins will be renamed ahead of the new NFL season
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Tom Dutton13 July 2020

NFL franchise the Washington Redskins have confirmed they will retire their team name and logo following an internal review.

Owner Dan ­Snyder has dropped the name with immediate effect.

Snyder, who once said he would never get rid of the name, launched a "thorough review" amid pressure from sponsors. FedEx, Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America all lined up against the name, which was given to the franchise in 1933 when the team was still based in Boston.

But on Monday a franchise statement confirmed: "On July 3rd, we announced the commencement of a thorough review of the team’s name. That review has begun in earnest. As part of this process, we want to keep our sponsors, fans and community apprised of our thinking as we go forward.

"Today we are announcing that we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review."

Snyder and coach Ron Rivera are now working on a new name and brand to "enhance the standing of a proud, tradition-rich franchise".

It is unclear when a new name will be announced, but “Warriors” is one candidate being widely touted. Snyder has attempted to trademark the name.

A similar review by New Zealand’s Canterbury Crusaders led to the Super Rugby side changing their knight and sword logo but retaining the club name in the wake of last March's Christchurch mosque attacks.

Meanwhile, Major League Baseball side the Cleveland Indians are also reviewing their team name in light of recent anti-racism protests.

The Indians replaced their logo two years ago, swapping a cartoon of a Native American named Chief Wahoo with a letter C.

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