Many will describe it as an effort to force the Commanders to change their name back to the one that was abandoned in 2020. The truth is that a new lawsuit against the team cannot compel the name to change.
The Commanders have been sued for defaming the Native American Guardian’s Association, via Newsweek.com. The claim arises in part from an allegation that a Commanders employee called the group “fake” in a conversation with a former owner of a luxury suite at FedEx Field.
“We believe the complaint is without merit, and we will address the matter in court,” a Commanders spokesperson told Newsweek.com.
The lawsuit alleges that the Commanders have worked with the National Congress of American Indians to remove the former name and to not bring it back.
“As the self-proclaimed voice of Native Americans everywhere, NCAI and the Commanders did more than attack NAGA’s integrity; they silenced over 90 percent of Native Americans who disagree with them,” the lawsuit alleges. “They also silenced Americans.”
This entire ordeal likely traces to the decision of members of the new ownership group (including majority owner Josh Harris and limited partner Magic Johnson) to nonchalantly mention the former name on July 22, the day the sale from Daniel Snyder became finalized. The casual use of the term sparked speculation that new ownership was floating a test balloon regarding a potential return of the abandoned name. It also emboldened some to begin aggressively pushing for the name to return.
Over time, language evolved to the point that the word became a dictionary-defined slur. After years of resistance, Snyder finally relented under intense pressure from sponsors. Whether enough fans can place enough pressure on the team to change it back remains to be seen.
For now, it seems highly unlikely. If/when pressure mounts, however, Harris and his partners have only themselves to blame for opening Pandora’s box. If they hadn’t blurted out the name in the euphoria arising from the departure of Snyder, it’s likely none of this would have happened.