The Washington Commanders were one of two professional sports teams to change their name and logo amid the Native American mascot controversy. The franchise was known as the Washington Redskins from 1937 through 2019. For the following two seasons, the organization was called the Washington Football Team before finally settling on the Commanders nickname ahead of the 2022 season.
Over the weekend, Washington was placed on the hot seat by United States President Donald Trump. He suggested that he would attempt to block the proposed deal for a new stadium if the franchise does not revert to their old name. Trump also noted that he wants the Cleveland Guardians to reverse course and return to being known as the Cleveland Indians. An NFL insider recently shared the Commanders’ stance on his claims.
What Is Washington’s Official Response to Trump’s Stadium Threats?
The Commanders made headlines in April as they announced their plans to build a 65,000-seat stadium at the site where RFK Stadium, their home from 1961 to 1997, still stands. The proposed stadium deal is set to cost nearly $4 billion and the franchise plans to have retail shops, restaurants, parking garages, a multisport complex and more on the 179-acre property, which would open in 2030.
Trump, however, threatened to do his part to derail the plan, provided that the organization does not change their name back to the Redskins. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently revealed Washington’s stance on his threat. The NFL insider appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show”, where he stated:
“When I’ve talked to Commanders people about this, over the last couple of years, every time I go to them, it’s like, ‘we haven’t even discussed that, that’s not even something that we would bring up’. If those conversations are happening in the Commanders’ organization, they are at a very high level and they’re being kept very, very quiet. I would be surprised. Just because I think it would be a reaction to what’s happening in the here and the now and I think it would be asking for another problem to come up in five or ten years. After everything that they went through and after all they endured over the last 20 years in the fight over that name, by going back to the name I think you would be sort of inviting that same conversation to prop up.”
“When I’ve talked to #Commanders people about this over the last couple of years — every time I go to them, it’s like, ‘We haven’t even discussed that, that’s not even something that we would bring up.'”
– @AlbertBreer on the discussion surrounding the Commanders’ name change. pic.twitter.com/cbqolcTUiW
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 21, 2025
Breer noted that the new ownership group led by Josh Harris could celebrate the history of the franchise without reverting to their previous name. He added that there would be a long-term problem created by changing their name. The NFL insider did acknowledge that Trump may be attempting to put pressure on the franchise, however, he reiterated that it is difficult to see the organization caving in.
