Could the Washington Football Team’s new permanent monicker right under its nose?
Team president Jason Wright told ESPN on Tuesday that the team is considering keeping its current name. He says some fans have grown fond of the name in the last year.
“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 still is accepting submissions for new name suggestions through April 5. Wright reports 15,000 submissions have been received from over 60 countries.
The team expects to have its official name in place for the 2022 season, just two years after abandoning the original following concerns raised by Native American groups. An official announcement could come as soon as this year though, per Wright.
“The sooner the better — that’s one thing I hear from the fan base,” he said. “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.”
For now, though, we wait.
