One of the biggest questions surrounding the Washington Commanders after Josh Harris took over as owner is whether he and his group would consider another name change or rebranding.
Well, Harris is officially the new owner of the Commanders. And while current team president Jason Wright seemed to downplay another potential rebranding earlier this year, one plugged-in writer isn’t ruling it out and even believes it can happen.
Don Van Natta Jr. is a fantastic senior writer for ESPN. He and Seth Wickersham wrote several terrific stories regarding former owner Daniel Snyder and the toxic workplace he oversaw in 24 years as owner. Van Natta and Wickersham broke several stories regarding Snyder over the past year, including the one where Snyder allegedly told others he had “dirt” on his fellow owners.
On Thursday, after NFL owners approved Harris as the new owner of the Commanders, Van Natta was a guest on “The Rich Eisen Show,” where he was asked what the first order of business for Harris and his ownership group would be.
His answer could bring joy to a large portion of Washington’s fan base, unhappy with the name, Commanders.
Van Natta initially told Eisen that all Harris had to do was the opposite of what Snyder did, and the two laughed.
Then Eisen asked the question of the day:
“Do you think it’s possible they even change the name……….to remove all trails and traces of Dan Snyder?”
“I think so…yes…I think there’s a pretty good chance of that,” Van Natta said.
“To erase any part of the Snyder legacy, to have a complete do-over…..I would not be surprised at all, Rich, if we see a name change and complete rebranding.”
Later on Thursday, a Washington fan asked Van Natta about his comments on Eisen’s show, which he reiterated.
Yes it’s accurate that I believe there’s a reasonable chance the team will be rebranded. But it won’t happen until after this season, at the earliest.
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) July 21, 2023
Wright and others have touted Washington’s rebranding to the Commanders as successful. However, if you ask most Washington fans, the rebranding has been anything but successful. While some fans are tired of the name debate and ready to move on to winning football, there remains a large portion of the fan base who want to see Harris consider getting rid of the Commanders name.
One thing is certain, not everyone will be happy either way.