Jay Gruden says Washington Football Team 'should have never changed the name'
Cydney HendersonWashington Football Team is getting ready to embark on its "next chapter" with a new team name, but if you ask former head coach Jay Gruden, he doesn't care.
"I don't think anybody really cares," Gruden said on the "Russell & Medhurst" radio show Tuesday after WFT announced it will reveal the franchise's new team name in February.
Gruden, the younger brother of ex-Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, served as the head coach of the franchise from 2014 to 2019, when the team was named the Washington Redskins. But Washington dropped "Redskins" in 2020 amid calls from key sponsors and Native American advocates, who criticized the name as racist and insensitive.
Gruden, however, disagrees.
"I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but they should have never changed the name in the first place," the 55-year-old told hosts Chris Russell and Pete Medhurst, who said that "90 percent of the fanbase agrees with" Gruden.
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WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM to reveal new name Feb. 2 as 'next chapter' begins
The franchise has been called Washington Football Team since 2020, but that's set to change on Feb. 2, when a new name and logo will be revealed on NBC's "Today" show.
During his radio show appearance, Gruden sarcastically asked Russell and Medhurst if they were "trying to figure out the new name," mockingly adding, "It's so exciting."
Gruden was fired five games into his sixth season as the Washington head coach in 2019 after a 0-5 start.
WFT president Jason Wright already eliminated two possible team names from consideration earlier this week: Wolves and RedWolves. The team also announced last summer that Warriors also won't be the team's new nickname because it "too closely aligns with Native American themes."
Contributing: Scooby Axson
Contact Cydney Henderson at chenderson@usatoday.com or on Twitter @cydhenderson.
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