The Washington Commanders are selling merchandise featuring the former Washington Redskins name and logo, a move the club says is necessary to maintain control over the trademark. The items, available at the team's stadium store and online, include T-shirts and jerseys bearing the names of former players such as Art Monk and Sean Taylor. Although the franchise abandoned the Redskins nickname in 2020, this throwback line keeps the branding in commercial use.
The merchandise is part of a limited Mitchell & Ness line. An Art Monk T-shirt, featuring his likeness in a Redskins helmet with his name and statistics on the back, costs $49.99. A Sean Taylor T-shirt, showing the former safety in his Redskins uniform, is also priced at $49.99. Taylor's retired No. 21 jersey, which displays the Redskins name on the front and a 75th anniversary patch, is available for $114.99. Despite the imagery, the club lists these items as Commanders gear in its inventory descriptions.
A club spokesman told WUSA9 that the team is required to maintain the marks in commercial usage to ensure they remain under franchise control. Under the Lanham Act, three consecutive years of nonuse serves as prima facie evidence of trademark abandonment. The law requires bona fide use in the ordinary course of trade, distinguishing genuine sales from token transactions made solely to reserve rights. The Commanders' contention that these items are of limited availability may complicate their position regarding statutory standards for commercial use.
The decision to sell this gear raises questions about the franchise's stance on the former name. Current owner Josh Harris stated in September 2023 that while he understands nostalgia for the former name, a portion of the fan base felt disrespected by it. The Commanders have vowed never to return to the Redskins nickname. However, the team will wear an alternate helmet this season featuring a spear piercing the W insignia, a design reminiscent of the feathered arrow helmet used in the 1960s.
Opinions on the legacy of the name remain divided among Native American communities. While some groups consider the nickname racist, others have publicly supported retaining it. Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, who previously led both the Blackfeet Tribe and the National Congress of American Indians, lobbied the team in 1972 to adopt the Native chief helmet portrait. In a 2002 interview, Wetzel expressed pride in having an Indigenous figure on a major team, stating that only a small group of radicals opposed such names.