Washington opts for Commanders as moniker
Browns debunk Jackson’s claims he was paid to lose
Finally, it has a name. Eighteen months after dropping its longtime name and beginning an extensive search for a new one, Washington’s NFL team revealed Wednesday that it will be the Commanders, a tribute to Washington’s military ties.
The much-anticipated announcement, made at FedEx Field with owners Daniel and Tanya Snyder present, along with team president Jason Wright and nearly a dozen current and former players, formally closes the team’s 87-year chapter as the Redskins and marks the start of a new era — at least aesthetically. The hope is that Commanders resonates with fans and reflects the makeup of the Washington area, home to the Pentagon and bases for every branch of the military.
On a makeshift stage set up in a pavilion outside the stadium, Daniel Snyder gave a brief, scripted speech thanking those involved in the rebranding process for “helping us to connect our past to our future.” Tanya Snyder, his wife and coCEO, offered similar words before unveiling three mannequins outfitted in the team’s new uniforms — one in all burgundy, another all-white set and the alternate black uniforms.
“We landed on this in part because we believe the Washington Commanders can carry the rich legacy of this team. A championship legacy,” Wright added. “It’s something that broadly resonated with our fans in this process, and it’s something that embodies the values of service and leadership that really characterize the DMV.”
Three decades removed from its last championship and the glory years of Coach Joe Gibbs, the team’s beloved former coach, Washington’s legacy is complicated, and, more recently, fraught with controversy and litigation. Since Snyder purchased the team in 1999, Washington has produced only five winning seasons and has been plagued by off-field woes — from its controversial name, considered a slur and the target of Native American protests, to the dozens of accusations of sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace.
On Thursday, only a day after the team announced its new name, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a roundtable titled “Examining the Washington Football Team’s Toxic Workplace Culture.” The goal of the discussion is to give congressional members a chance to hear firsthand accounts of former team employees who experienced harassment and a toxic culture while working for the team, which may help form potential legislation related to workplace harassment and discrimination.
The stakes surrounding a rebranding couldn’t be higher. The team has been bleeding fans with shrinking attendance figures and lackluster merchandise sales, and it has spent the past several years negotiating with Maryland, Virginia and D.C. governments about land for a new stadium, desperate to move on from the aging FedEx Field in Landover, Md. Some officials in the District said a stadium in the city could not happen until the team changed its name.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said Wednesday’s announcement is “a new, necessary chapter,” and called on the team, which is headquartered in Virginia and has played its home games in the Maryland suburbs since 1997, to return to the District.
BROWNS: The team says suggestions by former coach Hue Jackson and an associate that he was paid by the team to lose games are “completely fabricated.”
Jackson, who is now coaching at Grambling, made several posts on Twitter inferring that he received bonus payments from Browns owner Jimmy
Haslam during his two-plus seasons with the team.
The Browns strongly refuted Jackson’s claims.
“The recent comments by Hue Jackson and his representatives relating to his tenure as our head coach are completely fabricated,” team spokesperson Peter Jean-Baptiste said in a statement. “Any accusation that any member of our organization was incentivized to deliberately lose games is categorically false.”
Jackson was fired eight games into the 2018 season. He was 3-36-1 with Cleveland.
VIKINGS: Jim Harbaugh will stay at Michigan after all, ending his dalliance with a return to the NFL after interviewing with Minnesota Vikings for their head coach vacancy Wednesday. Harbaugh withdrew from consideration and will be back at his alma mater for an eighth season. “With an enthusiasm unknown to mankind!” Harbaugh said in a text message to The Associated Press.
Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday that the Vikings are expected to turn next to LA Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell to fill the post.
SAINTS: GM Mickey Loomis said the club remains “in the middle” of its coaching search after interviewing three candidates — including former Miami coach Brian Flores — whom Loomis described as “all very impressive in their own right.”
Loomis also said Flores informed the Saints of his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL after speaking with the club on Tuesday about the coaching vacancy created last week when Sean Payton retired following 16 years in New Orleans.
“He was very impressive and we had a great interview,” Loomis, who was in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl, said of Flores. “It went well.”
The Saints also have interviewed former Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson, who coached the 2017 Eagles to a Super Bowl championship, and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who was the Saints defensive backs coach for five seasons before leaving to join Dan Campbell in Detroit.
BEARS: Alan Williams was named new defensive coordinator under new coach Matt Eberflus on Wednesday. Williams spent the past four seasons as the Colts’ safeties coach while Eberflus was their defensive coordinator.