FedEx to remove signs from Washington’s stadium if team name isn’t changed

The Washington Redskins have faced backlash for years regarding their controversial name, and now one of their biggest sponsors is threatening to end their deal if the name isn’t changed. 

According to The Washington Post’s Liz Clarke, FedEx, who signed a $205 million stadium naming rights deal in 1999 with the Redskins, notified the team in a July 2 letter that they’ll be removing all signage from the stadium after the 2020 season if they don’t change their name. 

The letter from FedEx was sent to Washington the same day the company made a short statement saying they “requested” the team to change their name. This new letter states the team’s name poses a risk of harming FedEx’s reputation and is inconsistent with the company’s commitment to inclusivity. 

Following FedEx’s statement, Nike removed all Redskins merchandise from its website, and thus the announcement about a thorough review into the team name was launched. 

Washington likely will change its name, too. According to the Washington Post’s Les Carpenter, the new name “could be revealed within the next two weeks.”

Many people already are taking their guesses as to what Washington will call themselves if they change the name, and quarterback Dwayne Haskins supported the idea of calling the team the “Redtails,” which has been widely popular among fans.

While “Redtails” is popular, it isn’t included on the list of odds released by BetOnline.ag to be Washington’s new team name…but some other interesting choices were on there like the “Jeffersons” and “Roosevelts.”

The “Generals” also is a possible name for the team. The Harlem Globetrotters owner, who owns the right to the Washington Generals name, would love to have the Redskins purchase the rights to the name, too, so really anything can happen at this point.

Washington changed its name from the Braves to Redskins in 1933 and has been the subject of protests by Native-American groups and others for the past 40 years. Snyder has for years refused a name change despite several different court battles.

A 2019 poll of Native Americans showed that a majority found the team name offensive, according to USA Today, but Snyder originally claimed he’d “never” change the name.

Before announcing a thorough review of the team name, Washington recently removed a statue dedicated to its former owner, George Preston Marshall, at RFK Stadium and cited his racist policies of not signing black players for decades.

The team played at RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1996.