The Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Washington Redskins or the Washington Football Team, are once again rebranding as a part of the change of ownership that the team has secured. On Thursday, investor Josh Harris and the rest of his consortium saw their $6.05 dollar purchase of the team approved by the NFL.
ESPN reporter Don Van Natta Jr. broke the news on “The Rich Eisen Show” that the new ownership would be moving away from the poorly received Commanders team name. “Yes, I think there’s a pretty good chance of that, to erase any part of the Snyder legacy, to have a complete do-over. I would not be surprised at all if we see a name change and a complete rebranding.”
Harris, who calls Washington home, has already begun to win over fans with his reverence for the franchise and seemingly being driven only by a will to succeed on the football field. In his introductory press conference, Harris said. “I feel an awesome responsibility to the city of Washington,” Harris said. “I know what I’ve got to do. It comes down to winning. It’s on me and on our ownership group to deliver. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Fans were also energetic about the potential for Harris to build a team-first culture in the ownership group that seemed to be lacking during Dan Snyder’s tenure in the role. He said, “This franchise is part of who I am, but being a fan is not enough. To be successful, we need to win championships, create a positive impact on the community and create incredible memories for our fan base much like I had as a youth growing up in Washington.”
Former NBA Star Magic Johnson is also a part of the ownership group, and he noted that “everything’s on the table, especially after this year.” He also noted that other topics, such as moving the team’s home field while staying in Washington DC, are also on the table. He said, “We’re going to spend this year understanding what we have in place, and then I’m sure it will come up, the Commanders, the name of the team, will come up eventually. Right now we’ve got enough work to do.”
Magic Johnson took to Twitter to further commemorate the moment, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to join such a venture. Talk about God’s perfect timing. This was the right organization for me to be a part of given it’s global appeal, history of winning, and the diverse fanbase and DMV community,” Johnson said. Johnson added, “The DMV community has embraced and supported me, and I am honored and ecstatic to be a co-owner of the Commanders franchise!”
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