Indian logo and Redskins moniker have been dropped

The Washington NFL franchise has announced that it will drop the “Redskins” name and Indian head logo immediately, bowing to decades of criticism that they are offensive to Native Americans.

A new name must still be selected for one of the oldest and most storied teams in the NFL, and it was unclear how soon that will happen. But for now, arguably the most polarising name in North American professional sports is gone at a time of reckoning over racial injustice, iconography and racism in the US.

The move came less than two weeks after owner Dan Snyder, a boyhood fan of the team who once declared he would never get rid of the name, launched a “thorough review” amid pressure from sponsors. Fedex, Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America all lined up against the name, which was given to the franchise in 1933 when the team was still based in Boston.

The team said it is “retiring” the name and logo and that Snyder and coach Ron Rivera are working closely to develop a new name and design.

Native American advocates and experts have long criticised the name they call a “dictionary-defined racial slur”. Over a dozen Native leaders and organisations wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last week demanding an immediate end to Washington’s use of the name.

Protests against the name predate Snyder buying the team in 1999, and, until now, he had shown no willingness to consider a change. Strong words from sponsors – including a company run by a minority stakeholder of the team – changed the equation.

Fedex this month became thefirstsponsortoannounceit had asked the organisation to change the name, particularly important as CEO Frederick Smith owns part of the team. Fedex also paid $205 million for the long-term naming rights to the team’s stadium in Landover, Maryland.

The lease at Fedex Field expires in 2027, and dropping the name keeps open various possibilities in Maryland, Virginia and Washington for the team’s new stadium and headquarters. District of Columbia mayor Muriel Bowser has said the name was an “obstacle” to Snyder building on the old RFK Stadium site, which is believed to be his preference.