Washington Redskins legend Mark Rypien said the Commanders nickname doesn't sit well with him and never will.
Rypien made the comments during an interview with Washington radio station 106.7 The Fan, where he was asked what he thought about Washington's team nickname, “The Commanders.”
“It doesn't sit well with me yet, and it never will,” Rypien replied.
Washington was called the Redskins from 1937 to 2019, but decided to drop the nickname for political reasons after owners found it offensive.
The organization used the interim name Washington Football Team in 2020-2021, before becoming the Washington Commanders in 2022.
“I never played for the Commanders. I fully support the Commanders and what they're doing right now, but I never played for them,” Rypien said. Athlon Sports“I'm not a Commanders legend. I'm a Redskins. I love my guys,” he later said.
Rypien won two Super Bowls with the Redskins, one off the bench and one as a starting quarterback. Super Bowl XXVI.
“For obvious reasons, we cannot reinstate the old name.”
Rypien said he wants the team to remember its roots and that he hopes the organization “never loses the fact that we were the 'Redskins.'”
“That's all I played for. That's all I knew and that's all we remember.”
Rypien also repeatedly addressed the fact that the team is entering a new era, and while perhaps disappointing some fans, he said they just have to accept the name change.
“These are the times we have to deal with right now. … We're going to root for these guys, because these are the times.”
He continued, “I'm rooting for these players, this team, and I want this Commanders football team to be able to play football again like the Redskins played in our day.”
During a press conference ahead of the 2024 season, Commanders owner Josh Harris said the Redskins name “cannot be resurrected.”
“We've been very clear, for obvious reasons, we cannot reinstate the old name,” Harris explained. Boldness.
Harris said her focus was on unity and “not about dividing people.”
He added: “The name [inspires] There are many opinions, but it's hard to say… [I’ve] “I have never forgotten. Like I said, I grew up here. So I understand. We're going to start going back to our traditions and honoring our past. You saw the gold pants. That's easy to do.”
Naming controversy has been a constant topic of conversation within the team since the name change, but a marketing gaffe recently stole the headlines this preseason.
The Commanders' vice president of social media content was caught up in an undercover journalism investigation that disparaged the team's white and black players.
“Over 50 percent of our employees are white and/or religious, and their interpretation of God is, 'Fuck gays,'” the employee told the undercover date. “Another large percentage are low-income African-Americans who come from traditionally homophobic communities.”
The employee was later fired.
– YouTube
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