The Washington NFL franchise will go by a new name until further notice: the Washington Football Team.
Washington's name change, announced by the team Thursday, is only temporary as the organization attempts to rebrand its image.
"The decision to use 'Washington Football Team' for this season allows the franchise the ability to undertake an in-depth branding process to properly include player, alumni, fan, community, and sponsor input," the team said in a press release. "To date, we have been pleased to see so many people putting forward their vision of what the new name and design should be on their social media channels and we look forward to including their feedback as this process progresses."
The organization added that it will begin Friday the process of "retiring all Redskins branding from team properties," including FedEx Field and Redskins Park.
In addition, the team announced it will wear new uniforms this season, debuting its new home threads Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles and their new road threads Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. While the franchise's burgundy and gold color scheme will remain the same, there will be notable alterations to the players' look. The "Redskins" stitching above the numbers on the jerseys will be replaced by "Washington" stitching. The old "Redskins" logo on the helmet will be replaced by the player's number in gold.
The team announced on July 13 that it would be retiring the "Redskins" nickname and logo after 87 years. That decision came just 10 days after the franchise declared it would undergo a thorough review of the team's name.
Now, 10 days after the retirement of the "Redskins," the franchise has been temporarily reborn as the "Washington Football Team."
Earlier this week, Washington hired former chief marketing officer Terry Bateman in the same capacity to assist in its "name change and branding process."
The organization had been known as the "Redskins" since 1933.
Some Washington players are already taking to the team's new identity.
Below is Washington's press release in full:
On July 3rd we announced a thorough review of the team's name in light of events in the country and feedback from our community. As the process has continued internally, we want to keep our players, alumni, fans, community and sponsors apprised of key developments.
For updated brand clarity and consistency purposes, we will call ourselves the "Washington Football Team" pending adoption of our new name. We encourage fans, media and all other parties to use "Washington Football Team" immediately. The Redskins name and logo will officially be retired by the start of the 2020 season.
In addition, we are rolling out an aesthetic that reflects the direction of the franchise as we progress toward a new name and design scheme.
The decision to use "Washington Football Team" for this season allows the franchise the ability to undertake an in-depth branding process to properly include player, alumni, fan, community, and sponsor input. To date, we have been pleased to see so many people putting forward their vision of what the new name and design should be on their social media channels and we look forward to including their feedback as this process progresses.
Starting tomorrow and over the next 50 days, we will begin the process of retiring all Redskins branding from team properties whether it be FedExField, Redskins Park, other physical and digital spaces. We hope to complete this process in full by the team's home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 13.
Included in the link below are uniform concepts featuring "Washington Football Team" players: Jonathan Allen, Landon Collins, Dwayne Haskins, Ryan Kerrigan, Daron Payne and Chase Young in their home and road jerseys. The team will debut their home uniforms in their Week 1 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles and away uniforms in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Fans will be able to purchase "Washington Football Team" merchandise from Fanatics and NFL Shop in the coming days.
Full mockups of the logo, uniform concepts and FedExField design can be viewed at redskins.com/washingtonfootball
