Dan Quinn sent some waves around the Washington Commanders organization Saturday when he debuted a T-shirt that had the team’s logo — with a mix of the old Washington logo that was disbanded in 2019. The feathers from the old logo were attached to the “W” in the Commanders logo, a bit of a throwback to the logo the Washington franchise had for decades.
According to the Commanders in a team statement, there’s “no organizational comment” on Quinn’s shirt (via Pro Football Talk). NBC 4 Sports has also assured the team has no plans to bring back the old name after social media reaction to the shirt. Quinn’s T-shirt also isn’t officially licensed by the team.
The Commanders abandoned the original team name in 2019 and rebranded as the Washington Football Team in 2020 before settling on a new name in 2022 — the Washington Commanders.
Washington’s new ownership group, led by managing partner Josh Harris, have silenced rumors of a name change since the group purchased the team last year — yet there will undoubtedly be speculation of a potential name change based on Quinn’s shirt.
“Obviously, I grew up in D.C. and I was there during the glory years, so I understand why fans love the former name,” Harris said last September, via Sports Illustrated. “But look, there was a portion of our fanbase that felt disrespected by the former name.
“Sports are supposed to bring people together and not be a distraction. I don’t want distractions … I thought it was important that we end the conversation.”
Harris has referenced the glory days of the franchise, but never discussed changing the name back. Harris was also asked this offseason of another rebrand of a name other than Commanders, but pushed that aside toward other tasks the franchise needs to work on.
Getting a new stadium and practice facility, for example.
“Working on the next improvements to our stadium, in terms of fan experience, in terms of premium areas, and fixing a lot of different things and investing in the stadium,” Harris said in January, via USA Today. “Then, we’ve got obviously our new home and thinking about that.
“Right now, our focus today is on sports first and foremost, and then these other things and so, those are our focuses right now.”
Even if the Commanders would entertain a name change, that’s not on the docket. Of course, Quinn’s T-shirt fanned the flames of a name change instead of extinguishing them.
