Washington DC’s NFL franchise will now be called the “Washington Football Team,” pending a permanent new name, the team announced Thursday. The name change is temporary, as the team continues to evaluate potential options for rebranding the franchise.
It begins here… pic.twitter.com/CHCCZ64W81
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 23, 2020
The team officially updated its social media profiles Thursday, although its previous logo could still be found on the front page of the team’s website as of Thursday afternoon. The team will maintain the same burgundy and gold color scheme, with the franchise’s old logo being replaced on helmets with players’ numbers.
It's the uniforms for us 👏 pic.twitter.com/7BGOmSqjMY
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 23, 2020
The announcement comes as the NFL season is tentatively scheduled to kick off in about 50 days. Merchandise is going to be available for fans to purchase in the coming days.
The team’s decision was met with excitement from several Washington players on social media, but another prominent athlete was more skeptical of the announcement. LeBron James weighed in on Twitter:
Just waking back up from my pregame nap to see about The Washington Football team??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Is that real?? No way! Oh man they had a thorough intense long board meeting about that one huh. 🥴🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 23, 2020
It is unclear when the franchise will announce its permanent new nickname. The team retired its previous name of 87 years on July 13, 10 days after announcing a thorough review was underway.
