The Washington Redskins are going to conduct a "thorough review" of the team's name. That review is anticipated to result in a new team name according to the Washington Post and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
“You know where this leads," a person familiar with the league discussions told the Post, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They’re working on that process [of changing the name]. It will end with a new name. (Redskins owner) Dan [Snyder] has been listening to different people over the last number of weeks.”
Apparently, the name change has been a topic of discussion between the Redskins and the NFL for a while now. If the two sides have been discussing the controversial name for weeks, this review is not directly from the increased pressure from the public and sponsors.
A statement from Roger Goodell says that he and the league "are supportive of this important step," to the review of the name.
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There is no timetable on when the name would change according to these reports. Previous name changes, often for relocations or the formation of new name changes, take years of preparation. If there is an announced name change it may not be ready to rebrand all of the NFL properties for the 2020 season.
“This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field,” Snyder said in the team's statement.
Back in 2013, Snyder was strongly against the name change. However, his recent statement with pressure from sponsors FedEx, Nike and others suggest that his position is changing. Throughout the history of the controversy of the name, this appears to be the closest Washington has come to changing their moniker.
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