Washington Commanders: Football team unveils new team name, logos, uniforms

The Washington Football Team is now the Washington Commanders.

The team unveiled its new team name, logo and uniforms in a tweet Wednesday morning.

For the first 87 seasons of their history, the team played under a nickname that's often used as a slur against Native Americans. The team has used logos featuring a Native American warrior or Native imagery for most of its existence.

But in 2020, with the U.S. reckoning with long-standing racial issues following the death of George Floyd — and the team itself dealing with allegations of workplace abuse — Washington announced that it would no longer use Native imagery or its racist team name.

For two seasons, the team has gone by the more generic "Washington Football Team" moniker while it develops a new identity. During that time, the team kept its burgundy-and-gold uniforms mostly intact, though without Native imagery.

The team will continue to wear burgundy and gold moving forward. It will also wear an all-black uniform for some games.

According to CNN, team CEO Tanya Snyder had previously announced that the team was considering seven finalists for a new nickname: Armada, Brigade, Commanders, Defenders, Presidents and Red Hogs. She also said they were considering keeping Washington Football Team as a permanent name.

There were many signs in recent days pointing to Commanders as the team's new name. SportsLogos.net reported that photos of Commanders merchandise had emerged online. In addition, the team's former quarterback, Joe Theismann, appeared to confirm the new name in a local radio interview, though he later backtracked and said he was "not completely sure what the new name (is)."