Washington Football Team eliminates fan-favorite 'Warriors' as potential new team name

As fans eagerly await the results of the Washington Football Team's extensive rebrand, the team's president has taken at least one particularly popular potential moniker out of the running.

"I want to address a name that has emerged amongst our fanbase, 'Warriors,'" writes Team President Jason Wright in a statement on Monday. He adds that although, on its face, the name might appear "harmless," "feedback from across communities we engaged clearly revealed deep-seated discomfort around Warriors" because it "too closely aligns with Native American themes."

Embracing such "potentially Native-adjacent iconography and imagery" would contradict the very work the team has set out to do — efforts that should be reflected in its new name, Wright says. To that end, the team will choose an identity that "unequivocally departs from any use of or approximate linkage to Native American imagery," meaning "Warriors" is officially off the table.

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Wright declines to offer up other possible name suggestions or options, but adds that although this may be "disappointing for some folks," "our new identity should unite us."

He goes on: "As a team, we are confident that our new brand identity will honor our legacy and lead us into our future as a franchise."

Wright recently told The Washington Post that fans can expect the new name and logo to be revealed in early 2022.