• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Parts of the Commanders’ Past Finding Their Way Into Harris Era

  • The team is developing plans to honor the designer of its former logo during the upcoming season.
  • Potential efforts to develop a new facility at the RFK Stadium site are intertwined with the logo issue.
Oct 5, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris with fans before the game against the Chicago Bears at FedExField.
Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Commanders remain in the midst of significant change under owner Josh Harris (above), marked in large part by an attempted on-field rebuild, a long-running search for a new stadium, and perhaps a new name.

But the weight of and the fan allure for the team’s glory days—particularly the Joe Gibbs era that resulted in three Super Bowl titles and helped fuel last year’s record-setting $6.05 billion sale—are still rather close at hand for the Commanders. 

As training camp is quickly approaching with rookies due to report on July 18, the team has made two notable moves this week to honor its past.

  • The family of Walter “Blackie” Wetzel—the late Blackfeet Nation member who helped design the logo used from 1972 to 2020—is expected to be in attendance at the team’s home opener on Sept. 15, when a plaque acknowledging Wetzel will be unveiled at Commanders Field, Ryan Wetzel, a grandson of the late Walter Wetzel, told Front Office Sports. A Commanders spokesperson said “conversations with the Wetzel family are progressing well, but we cannot confirm details at this time.”
  • The team also has announced the return of its traditional, and widely popular, gold pants. While uniform changes are a regular occurrence for many teams, shifts like this for the Commanders carry extra weight. That’s particularly the case given the fans’ love of the franchise’s past, as well as the sensitivity around many elements of that history, including its former logo, the “R” name, and the combative and controversial era of former owner Dan Snyder. 

Fan Unrest

Harris has often been forced to navigate the team’s past-present tightrope since he was unanimously approved by NFL ownership last July. At his introductory news conference, Harris said the team’s old “R” name when referencing the Commanders’ past accomplishments.

The Wetzels, meanwhile, have seized on the unpopularity of the Commanders name—a moniker that has the support of only 16% of the fan base, per a recent Washington Post survey—in hopes that a potential name change could incorporate the old logo. Beyond the visit and a plaque, the Wetzels and Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R., Mont.) have continued to lobby the Commanders to bring back the logo in some form.

“The Commanders are listening,” Ryan Wetzel said. “We’d like to see the logo come back in some form. As to what capacity, I don’t know. They’ve been a little coy about that in our conversations.”

“Let’s restore the logo to a place of pride!!” Daines wrote in an X post Wednesday. 

Multiple NFL sources told FOS that the return of the old logo remains off the table and restoring the old “R” name is a complete nonstarter, however. The Commanders continue to have conversations with the Wetzels in hopes of finding a way to further recognize Walter Wetzel short of bringing back Native American imagery, a divisive issue that led to the name change in the first place. 

Not All Is Great

Daines, meanwhile, remains a key figure in the Commanders’ still-uncertain stadium deliberations. He has threatened to block the RFK Stadium bill that passed the House earlier this year unless the Commanders give proper recognition to the descendants of the Indigenous leader who helped create the logo.  

If the Commanders manage to thread the needle by appeasing the Wetzels, Daines will still need to back off his opposition to the bill that doesn’t even guarantee a stadium will be built on the RFK Stadium site.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 9, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Fans look on as Bryson DeChambeau practices on the practice green during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club.

U.S. Open Crowd Offers a Preview of Pittsburgh’s NFL Draft Moment

Oakmont Country Club is hosting its record 10th U.S. Open.

Tigers Have MLB’s Best Record, Second-Largest Attendance Jump

Detroit’s home attendance surges as it becomes MLB’s best team.
Jul 27, 2024; Paris, France; Rafael Nadal (ESP) and Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) celebrate defeating Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) and Andres Molteni (ARG) in a men's tennis doubles match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros.

Alcaraz Has Outearned Nadal at 22—Even Adjusting for Inflation

Alcaraz has earned $44.7 million in career earnings.

Thunder Even Series at 1-1, Remain NBA Finals Betting Favorites

The series shifts to Indiana for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Featured Today

Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.

Pacers Set to Bring Back Turner, Pay Luxury Tax for First Time..

Turner is currently the longest-tenured Pacers player.
Minasian
June 9, 2025

Minisian Brothers Strike MLB’s First-Ever Sibling Trade

Perry and Zack Minisian are GMs of the Angels and Giants, respectively. 
Soccer
June 9, 2025

MLS Players Rip League Over Club World Cup Pay Negotiations

The union says the league’s proposal was “retaliatory in nature.”
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
Tamika Catchings
June 7, 2025

The Sky–Fever Rivalry Wasn’t Born Yesterday

The teams fixated on each other well before Clark and Reese.
Levi's
June 6, 2025

World Cup Could Have 49ers on the Hook for Tens of Millions

The team has pledged to cover any deficit.
June 6, 2025

Rodgers Signing Defies Steelers Reputation but Further Boosts Team’s Profile

The NFL team long known for avoiding drama signed a mercurial quarterback.
June 5, 2025

White Sox Deal Signals Ninth Inning for Reinsdorf’s MLB Legacy

One of MLB’s elder statesmen still has a lengthy to-do list.