The Washington football team is reportedly going to announce Monday that its current name will be retired. A new name has yet to be determined.
Amid mounting pressure to change its longstanding, controversial team name, the Washington football team is reportedly set to announce a change.
The team will announce Monday its plan to retire its current name, according to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal. A new team name has yet to be determined.
Fischer reports that Washington's review process that began on July 3 has been completed and that a new name announcement is on hold until pending trademark issues can be resolved. Though a timeline for the new name is unknown, the team's sense of urgency in moving through this process quickly remains high.
The news comes after several team sponsors have threatened to end their partnership with the team unless the name was changed.
The name also had a direct impact on the franchise's long-term future. Washington currently plays at FedEx Field in Landover, Md, on a lease set to expire after the 2027 season. Plans to return to its previous home—RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.—are dependent on the team having a new name, according to local lawmakers.
"There is no viable path, locally or federally, for the Washington football team to return to Washington, D.C., without first changing the team name," said John Falcicchio, deputy mayor of Washington, D.C., according to Liz Clarke of The Washington Post.