FedEx, which sponsors its field, has asked the Washington NFL team to change its name. pic.twitter.com/vsHU8N6z9U
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 2, 2020
Another shoe has dropped in the push for the Washington Redskins to rename their team, as FedEx, one of their major sponsors, has now called upon Dan Snyder and the rest of the ownership group to change the name.
The news was released on Thursday evening after FedEx sent out a memo saying that going forward, they were encouraging a change to be made.
JUST IN: @FedEx has asked the Washington @Redskins to change its name. Here is the statement:
“We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.“
— ABC 7 News – WJLA (@ABC7News) July 2, 2020
This was not a major surprise, as news came out on Wednesday night that said some major shareholders with Nike, FedEx, and PepsiCo were encouraging for sponsors to cut ties with the team unless a name change was made. FedEx was the first company to actually threaten to do so, but it would not be a shock to see others follow suit.
In the saga that is a potential Redskins name change, this is a major deal. NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay put it best on Twitter:
Why is FedEx asking the Redskins to change their name such a huge deal? FedEx CEO Fred Smith is also a minority owner in the Redskins. pic.twitter.com/pDDRbPmxYC
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 2, 2020
How long until Nike asks the Redskins to change the name? Can’t be long.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 2, 2020
We will see if any other major companies follow FedEx’s lead, and time will tell what Dan Snyder and the team decide to do next.
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