President Jason Wright rules out Warriors as next name for WFT originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
While the Washington Football Team's next name remains unclear, president Jason Wright stated Monday that one oft-discussed option won't be the franchise's eventual choice.
"Feedback from across communities we engaged clearly revealed deep-seated discomfort around Warriors, with the clear acknowledgment that it too closely aligns with Native American themes," Wright wrote in his latest "President's Brief" column on the Burgundy and Gold's website.
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"Such an embrace of potentially Native-adjacent iconography and imagery would not represent a clear departure that many communities have so forcefully advocated for us to embrace, and that frankly, we set out to do when we started this process a year ago," he added.
The title of Wright's post is "Moving Forward," and the bulk of it deals with how he and Washington have prioritized "listening and learning from Native American leaders and individuals throughout the country" during the past year and since the removal of the previous name. And those conversations have led him to believe that landing on anything even potentially harmful to that group — such as Warriors — would be an untenable solution.
"To that end, we will choose an identity that unequivocally departs from any use of or approximate linkage to Native American imagery," Wright wrote.
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In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Wright said that the new name and logo will be made public in early 2022. In his column, meanwhile, he dove a bit further into where exactly he and his fellow decision-makers are in their journey.
"We are now down to a short list of final names based on our strategic approach, research process, and insight phase. We will continue to rely upon the insight and support of many of you as it moves forward to a final decision."
The reality is that, no matter what Wright settles on, some of the fan base will be unhappy. The organization was known as one thing for nearly 90 seasons, and soon, they'll officially be referred to as something completely different.
Wright knows that, too, but he also hopes that Washington's many, many supporters understand he's not trying to erase any history that's preceded him; all he wants to accomplish is to "unite" people in the upcoming era.
"Moving on from the old moniker does not invalidate the poignant memories so many of you had with loved ones watching your football heroes... We need your help to ensure we preserve those memories under a new banner that should bring even more fans into the Washington family."
