Md. Gov. Hogan says it’s probably time to change Redskins name

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan now says he believes the name of Washington’s professional football team “probably should be changed,” though he supported the team’s name when he ran for governor in 2014. Hogan, a Republican and a critic of President Donald Trump, was asked on NBC’s “Today” show whether he thought the NFL team should change its name. “I think the time is probably right,”he said. “I’m glad that they’re having that discussion. I believe the name will be changed.”

Hogan said this week he is considering a run for president in 2024. The governor’s position on the Redskins is a wedge between him and Trump, who said the team was considering a name change “in order to be politically correct.”

The Redskins play in Landover, Maryland. Hogan grew up in the area as a fan of the team.“It’s got a lot of history associated with the name, but I understand it’s a hurtful name, and in today’s context it probably should be changed,” Hogan said.

When Hogan ran for governor in 2014, he expressed support for the team’s name. That year, he criticized a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision to cancel the Redskins’ trademark registration, saying the decision about what to call the team should be left to team owner Dan Snyder.

In 2014, Hogan told The Washington Times that he didn’t think government should have a role in determining what a business should call itself.

The team announced this month that it has begun a “through review”of the nickname, which experts and advocates call a “dictionary-defined racial slur.”