8:05 a.m. ET, February 2, 2022
NFL's first Black team president ushering Washington football into new era
From CNN's Jason Kurtz
The Washington Football Team's President Jason Wright - the first Black president of a National Football League team- photographed at the team's Virginia facility on September 2, 2020 in Ashburn, Virginia.
(Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, Washington Football Team president Jason Wright will help the franchise
announce its new name, a revelation that comes 18 months after the team stopped referring to itself as the Redskins.
And the fact that Wright, the first-ever Black team president in NFL history, will be at the helm of this sea change is significant as the squad moves forward from a moniker steeped in racial insensitivity.
In July 2020, Washington ceased using the name Redskins, as it had been long denounced by the Native American community as an ethnic slur.
"If I could custom design a leader for this important time in our history, it would be Jason," said Washington team owner Daniel Synder in August 2020. "His experience as a former player, coupled with his business acumen, gives him a perspective that is unrivaled in the league."
Wright's experience and leadership will be called upon as the franchise looks to begin a new legacy, one with a new name and new logo.
"We are confident that this identity is one that our team and our fans across D.C., Maryland, Virginia and beyond can rally behind for another 90 years and more as we continue to cheer on the Burgundy & Gold in this next chapter," said Wright in January.
For the past two seasons, the franchise was known simply as the
Washington Football Team while a more permanent nickname was being decided upon.