BREAKING: Washington Redskins Expected to Announce Retirement of Team Name on Monday

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The Washington Redskins plan to announce on Monday that they are officially retiring their team nickname, according to a report by Sports Business Journal.

SBJ cited two anonymous sources as confirming the team was giving up the controversial name, viewed by many as a derogatory reference to Native Americans.

For years, Redskins owner Dan Snyder had adamantly defended the name, but the team’s attitude swiftly changed direction over the past few weeks, as America — and America’s corporations — reckoned with the debate on race and criminal justice sparked by the George Floyd protests.

Both FedEx, the sponsor for the Redskins’ stadium, and Nike, the manufacturer of a significant amount of official team clothing and other fan merchandise, showed support for the team changing its name. FedEx went so far as to issue a public statement calling for a name change on July 2.

The very next day, the Redskins announced they would “undergo a thorough review of the team’s name.” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell voiced his support of the review.

The team wanted to “remove any doubts as to the future of the name,” SBJ reported one source told them, and is waiting to resolve trademark issues before announcing the new name.