Over the last two seasons, the Washington Football Team has been nameless. Of course, they used to have a name although due to racial sensitivity reasons, the team finally decided to get rid of the branding. Throughout this time, the franchise has been deliberating on a brand new name, and fans have been eager to see what the team will come up with. For months now, names like the Commanders, Presidents, Admirals, and even the RedWolves have been mentioned.
Today, the team released a statement noting that they won't be able to call themselves the Wolves or RedWolves due to legal reasons. However, they do have an announcement coming soon, as the team plans to announce their new name on February 2nd of this year. Simply put, a new name is a month away.
Per WFT President Jason Wright:
"Early on we understood Wolves -- or some variation of it -- was one of our fan favorites. As I've said all along, we take feedback from our fans seriously, and because of your interest in this name, we put Wolves on a list of options to explore fully. Once we began looking into Wolves, however, we became aware of a notable challenge: trademarks held by other teams would limit our ability to make the name our own. And without Wolves, variations like RedWolves wouldn't have been viable either for these and other reasons.
"Understanding the weight and importance of our team name, and excitement around other name options -- both internally and within our fan base -- we didn't want to risk going down a route that could be dotted with legal hurdles. The prospect of years of litigation wasn't something that we wanted you, our fans, to have to bear as you begin to embrace a new brand."
This is an exciting time for the franchise and while they won't be headed to the postseason, they will at least have something to look forward to. Stay tuned to HNHH, as we will be sure to bring you all of the latest updates on the team's impending new name.
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[Via]