President Donald Trump is threatening the Commanders' NFL stadium deal if the team does not change its name back to the "Redskins," according to a recent post.
July 21 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump is taking on the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians as he demands the NFL and MLB teams restore their former names despite dropping the monikers years ago over racist stereotypes.
Trump posted a message Sunday on Truth Social, urging the Commanders to reinstate its "Redskins" name or risk having its new stadium deal held up.
"The Washington 'Whatever's' should immediately change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team," Trump wrote.
"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," Trump added.
Both the Commanders and the Guardians have said they have no plans to change their team names.
The former Washington Redskins rebranded as the Washington Commanders in 2022 after dropping the Redskins name in 2020 following decades of pressure from Native American groups. Washington played for two seasons as the Washington Football Team.
"It's now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff," said Commanders owner Josh Harris. "We're going with that. Now, in this building, the name Commanders means something."
The former Cleveland Indians also rebranded in 2022 to the Guardians after Native American groups called the team's name and mascot "racist" and "no longer appropriate."
"I understand that there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago," said Guardians team president Chris Antonetti.
"Obviously, it's a decision we've made and we've gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future."
On Sunday, Trump claimed, "There is a big clamoring for this," adding, "Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen."
"Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago," Trump said. "We are a country of passion and common sense. Owners, get it done!"
Earlier this year, the Commanders announced they had reached a deal with the District of Columbia to build their new home field at the site of RFK stadium, where they played from 1961 to 1996.
The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, passed last year, allows the District of Columbia Council to negotiate directly with the team on the new $3.7 billion stadium.
The Commanders have been playing at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., where they are under contract to play until 2027. The new stadium is expected to open in 2030.
Category: Football
