Washington is retroactively cleaning up some of its history at a vital time when people are asking for companies to reconsider some of the figureheads that represent them.
But to be clear: The team has no plans to change its name.
Washington is removing George Preston Marshall's name from its Ring of Honor after coming to the sudden realization that he was the last owner to integrate his team in 1962 _ Ernie Davis became the first black player selected by Washington, but he was traded to Cleveland. The first black player to play for Washington was Bobby Mitchell, who came to Washington from Cleveland in the Davis trade.
Last week, a monument of Marshall was removed from the premises of RFK Stadium in light of his atrocious record in regards to integration.
While it's good that Washington is scrubbing Marshall's name from its record books, there's still one big change that it's failing to institute.
Changing the name of the damn team.
Native Americans have often discussed how hurtful it is to have a slur as the team's mascot. Washington's inclusionary practices will fall short of getting the job done if it doesn't make indigenous Americans feel welcome to support the team.
As free-agent defensive lineman Michael Bennett stated on his Twitter account, Washington does "not get a pass in this battle for equality and justice." Owner Dan Snyder has refused to listen to the pleas of Native Americans who have consistently asked for the team's name to be changed.
Liberation from the ideals and name-calling of white supremacy have to come for everyone before Washington can take a victory lap on this. Making black customers and players feel more welcome at games is a start, but the team is still named after a slur for Native Americans after years of protest.
Snyder has been unwilling to change the name of his team, and the public should be unwilling to give him props for scrubbing Marshall's name and honoring Mitchell until he does so.
