The Washington Commanders are never going back to their former nickname.
It hasn’t stopped the world’s most powerful man from making his opinion on the matter known.
To be fair, President Donald Trump was asked Sunday about the Commanders’ stadium plans within the District of Columbia – and whether the team should have changed its name at all.
“Well, you want me to make a controversial statement? I would,” Trump replied. “I wouldn’t have changed the name. It just doesn’t have the same, it doesn’t have the same ring to me.
“But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn’t have changed the name.”
From 2020-22, the team went by the ‘Washington Football Team’ after it retired the former nickname, which many Native Americans believe is a slur, before becoming the ‘Commanders.’
Franchise names have been an issue not just in the NFL, but across other sports. Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians also changed their name for its reflection about Native American communities.
The Commanders, however, have been adamant that changing the name back is not a priority.
What did Donald Trump say about Commanders’ RFK Stadium plans?
Trump hosted Commanders owner Josh Harris and commissioner Roger Goodell in the Oval Office to announce the 2027 NFL draft being held on the National Mall in D.C.
Since then, the president has been asked about the deal between the local government and the team to build a new stadium near its former RFK site within D.C. The deal still requires approval of the D.C. Council, and members of the group have cost concerns regarding the amount of taxpayer dollars (nearly $1 billion).
‘We’ll see what happens. Looking at the deal, you know, I don’t blame them,’ Trump said. ‘They’re very important pieces of property. It’s a great piece of property. But if I can help (the NFL) out I will.’
Despite Congress handing D.C. control of the land, Trump said the federal government ‘ultimately controls’ it.
‘It’ll be a great place for the NFL to be in,’ Trump said.