Two older Redskins fans from the DMV got together on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast. Wednesday.
Tom Friend grew up in Chevy Chase, Md., and went to Rolling Wood Elementary, as did Commanders’ new majority owner, Josh Harris and minority owner Mark Ein. Friend stated that his sister was in their class.
I recall Friend covering the Redskins as the beat writer for The Washington Post back in the late 1980s. He is now a writer for the Sports Business Journal.
Sheehan asked Friend regarding the “Commanders” team name. He referenced that at one point, the franchise did attempt to move from Redskins to Warriors, but it was shot down.
Friend continued with an objection, “I don’t know why. You look at what the Chiefs fans do, and the Braves fans do, and you think, ‘What is the problem?’”
“I had someone else tell me they (Harris Ownership Group) are looking at it now. More than look at it, they are going to do it at some point. It’s just a matter of when. I am not reporting this. I am just telling you what I hear from people close to the situation.”
Friend told Sheehan that Dan Snyder got rid of Redskins quickly, changing the name, so why couldn’t they get rid of this name that virtually very few in the fan base likes? He went as far as saying, “No one likes it; get the heck rid of it!”
When Sheehan asked if Friend’s sources are “in the know,” Friend instantly responded, “Somewhat in the know, for sure, for sure, absolutely, 100 percent.”
Friend continued, “This was always a franchise that did nothing but celebrate Native Americans. I went to RFK my entire life from six years old, and not once did I ever Tomahawk chop or do the war chant. All we said was, ‘Hail to the Redskins!’ In all seriousness, there was no mocking going on.”
Of course, Friend is correct; the hypocrisy is evident. But the bigger news was Friend saying the Harris ownership group is already discussing changing the Commanders’ team name in the future.
Should we be surprised? The Harris Ownership Group has been impressively ahead of the game, and in time, they are going to get this right as well.