Washington Commanders Selling ‘Redskins’ Merch with Retired Logo
Washington Commanders' sale of official merchandise bearing the team's retired former Redskins name and logo has drawn backlash from a Native American advocacy group.
The merch is part of a T-shirt collection honoring three former players — Art Monk, Darrell Green, and Sean Taylor — who played under the team's former name. Each shirt, available in-store and online, shows the players in the old uniforms. A helmet graphic bearing the old logo appears over their name in the back.
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It's not the first time the team has sold official Redskins merch since the name and logo were retired in 2020 over racism complaints. The former name appeared in small print on a Sean Taylor tribute jersey sold last season, according to NewsNation local affiliate WUSA9.
A Commanders spokesperson told WUSA9 the team is required to keep the old trademarks in commercial use in order to keep control of them. Otherwise, the unused trademarks can expire and become available to the public.
The Association on American Indian Affairs told WUSA9 that it condemns the merch.
"Native Peoples' diverse cultures are not brands to be retired and then revived when there is money to be made." > "The renewed commercialization of Native stereotypes is part of a broader pattern of disrespect toward Native Peoples at a time when Native Nations are fighting very real threats to their sovereignty, cultures, lands, and sacred places. Reviving harmful imagery — that has been proven to harm Native youth — for nostalgia and profit only perpetuates the stereotypes Native Peoples have spent decades demanding be left behind." > "We are not your mascot."
NewsNation has reached out to the NFL for comment.