LOVERRO: Old name would be a step back for a franchise finally moving forward

OPINION:

The Washington Commanders opened training camp Tuesday in Ashburn, Virginia, but general manager Adam Peters was asked about the political battle brewing 34 miles away in the nation’s capital over the very name of the team he works for.

“I mean, look, we’re really focused on everything in the building and getting ready for this season and getting our guys in here and getting the building ready as I talked about with everything,” he told reporters. “And in terms of, whether it’s the stadium or anything else those things aren’t really, they don’t really make it to us. So, we really just try to focus on what’s going on in here and getting ready for the season.”

This sound familiar?

It’s a version of the various answers we heard from former Washington coach and personnel boss Ron Rivera for years during the Dan Snyder mess on Capitol Hill that would engulf the franchise and blanket the business.

If President Trump insists on carrying on his demand to force the Commanders to change the name of the team back to Redskins — the name was changed to Washington Football Team in 2020 under pressure from the league and corporate sponsors and then to Commanders in 2022 — Peters might want to rehearse his future answers and expand his avoidance choices. This noise may not go away, and it could become too deafening to ignore.

“The Washington ’Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team,” Mr. Trump posted Sunday on Truth Social. “There is a big clamoring for this.”

He followed that up with his threat to wreck the whole proposed stadium project on federal land being leased to the District.

“I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” Mr. Trump wrote. “The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone.”

Certainly, based on the reaction of a vocal segment of the Washington fan base, this was exciting news. Many were gleeful. It’s a passionate issue for them, so much so that if it came down to a new stadium for the team on the RFK stadium site in the city or a return to the Redskins name, many would choose going back in time.

Could it come to that?

NBC News 4 reported Wednesday that D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has reached an agreement with the Commanders over the financial terms for the proposed $3.8 billion stadium — of which $1.1 billion will come from city funds. This would appear to be the removal of the final roadblock for the team’s return to the District after leaving the city for Landover, Maryland, in 1997.

But Mr. Trump’s comments indicate that his issue — which opponents believe is simply a distraction maneuver away from the Jeffrey Epstein controversy — is a demand to change the name back to Redskins or else risk having the lease revoked. It may be a complicated process, but Mr. Trump has several ways he could accomplish that.

Mr. Mendelson and Mayor Muriel Bowser have both said publicly in the last few days that the old name would not get in the way of their support for the stadium. But owner Josh Harris has been silent, and at his postseason press conference in February, he strongly voiced his support for the Commanders name.

“I think it’s now embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff. So we’re going with that,” he said. “The name Commanders means something. It’s about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard, mentally tough, great teammates. It’s really meaningful that that name is growing in meaning.”

He did grow up, though, rooting for the Washington Redskins in Chevy Chase. 

One of the most influential voices in this decision has also been silent — the NFL. Is the league really going to let Mr. Trump bully one of their teams into changing its name? The last time Mr. Trump went to battle with the NFL, it was over kneeling during the national anthem and proved to be a political winner for him.

This one, though — the name of one NFL team that many see as a racial slur — won’t likely find many supporters beyond the team’s longtime fans. 

Mr. Harris has to know the baggage that would accompany a return to the Redskins name. The protests, which followed the team for more than 50 years, will be louder and stronger this time. What’s to stop a future president with different political leanings to hear those voices and demand the league drop the name?

And while you want everyone to focus on your prize young quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who has turned the franchise around on the field, the story that will define your organization will be the controversial team name and the politics around it.

Peters might want to expand his list of answers about things beyond his focus.

• Catch Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.