He Washington Commanders they have a new ownership group, and after the next season, they may have a new identity.
nba Legend Magic Johnson, who, along with the group led by Josh Harris, bought the team from former owner Dan Snyder for a record $6.05 billion in a deal that NFL owners unanimously approved Thursday.
«It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done. It’s a lifelong dream,» Johnson said in an interview with the TODAY Show that aired Friday morning.
NFL FINES DAN SNYDER $60 MILLION, RELEASES FINDINGS OF COMMANDERS INVESTIGATION AFTER TEAM SALE
«I think it’s going to be great. It’s going to be great for commanders Fans, It will also be great for the players and all the employees.»
Johnson said the new ownership group will «stay busy» with the work needed to change the organization, but when asked if the possibility of a name change was on the agenda, the Hall of Famer didn’t rule it out.
«I think everything is on the table, especially after this year. We’ll see where we are with the name, but I can’t say that right now.»
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«We’re going to spend this year understanding what we have in place, and then I’m sure [talk of a new facility] It will come up, the team name will come up eventually, but right now we have enough work to do and that will keep us busy.»
The Commanders retired their previous name in July 2020 after years of complaints that it was insensitive to Native Americans. Eighteen months later, Washington’s new identity was revealed.
However, the new name did not go down well with some fans, some even advocating keeping their placeholder name permanently: the Washington Football Team.
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His biggest immediate challenge for the organization’s long-term future is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the team’s rush-to-finish home since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, which hasn’t aged well.
Virginia dropped a stadium bill more than a year ago, but the site of RFK Stadium, the club’s previous home in the capital city, has significant backing as a new venue location.
Associated Press contributed to this report.