The Washington Football Team has officially unveiled its new team name: the Washington Commanders. The Washington, D.C. team announced its rebranding on Wednesday (Feb. 2), nearly two years after dropping its former name, the Washington Redskins, due to its racist origins.
“As an organization, we are excited to rally and rise together as one under our new identity while paying homage to our local roots and what it means to represent the nation’s capital,” team co-Owner and co-CEO Dan Snyder said about the new name in a statement.
“As we kick-off our 90th season, it is important for our organization and fans to pay tribute to our past traditions, history, legacy and the greats that came before us,” he continued.
Dan added that the team’s new name and logo will “continue to honor and represent the Burgundy & Gold while forging a pathway to a new era in Washington. Today may mark the first day for the Washington Commanders, but we are and always will be Washington.”
Co-Owner and co-CEO Tanya Snyder added in the statement that the team landed on the Commanders name after receiving “40,000 fan submissions” and conducting “countless surveys, focus groups and meetings.”
Along with the new name, the team also unveiled three new logos, including a capital W, stylized Washington Commanders insignia and a new team crest.
The team also debuted new uniforms, which still closely align with the franchise’s traditional gold and burgundy kits.
Fans are invited to Maryland’s FedEx Field on Friday evening (Feb. 4) for an event celebrating the new branding. New team merchandise also became available to purchase on Wednesday at 9 a.m. EST.
Besides controversy surrounding its name, the NFL also fined the team $10 million last summer after an investigation into workplace misconduct at the franchise. See the Washington Commanders’ tweet about its new name below.