It was supposed to be a special weekend for the Washington Commanders. It was homecoming weekend for the franchise. Washington invited several former greats who donned the burgundy and gold to partake in different events involving the team over the weekend.
On Friday, “The Posse,” Washington’s legendary trio of wide receivers from the 1980s and early-1990s were at practice. And the Commanders would also add 10 new names to the franchise’s “90 greatest” list Sunday.
Before Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, Washington co-owner, Tanya Snyder, held a rally with fans and some of the former players where she spoke. Team president Jason Wright also spoke to the crowd.
Snyder thanked the former players and closed her speech with the following comment:
“Hail to the Redskins, and let’s beat Green Bay.”
Snyder’s comments caused a mixed reaction on social media. Regardless of how some feel about the name, some fans left the day the name was changed and may never return. Others couldn’t believe Snyder used the team’s former name.
Here’s the end of the video of Tanya Snyder, which includes her “Hail to the Redskins” (:20). https://t.co/XpIqKP9z3T pic.twitter.com/H5tSIWht6V
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) October 23, 2022
Was it a slip of the tongue? An act of defiance? Or a nod to some of those displeased fans? As some pointed out on Twitter, perhaps Snyder made the statement because all of the franchise legends in attendance played for the “Redskins,” not the Football Team or the Commanders.
Regardless, it didn’t stop fans from chanting “sell the team” at the Snyder family on Sunday. It was truly a shame for the former franchise greats and the current players who picked up an impressive win over the Packers.