The Washington football team, formerly known as the Redskins, has been trying hard to get fans on board with their new name, the Commanders, but not everyone is warming up to the change—especially former Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Mark Rypien.
According to a report from Breitbart, Rypien revealed during an interview on 106.7 The Fan in Washington that he’s just not feeling it. In fact, the new name will never grow on him.
“No, it never will,” Rypien stated when asked about his feelings toward the Commanders. “I never played for the Commanders. I absolutely support the Commanders and what they’re doing now. But I never played for them.” He went on to say that he’ll always remember the team as the Redskins, the name under which he led the team to a Super Bowl victory and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVI.
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Rypien also emphasized that despite his reservations, he’s fully supportive of the current players. “We are going to support these guys because that’s the era we are in. I am not a Commanders’ legend. I am a Redskin. I love my guys. I want to support these guys, this team, and get this Commanders football team back to playing the type of football the Redskins played back in our era.”
The team’s former name became a casualty of the cultural shifts in 2020, following the death of George Floyd.
Then-owner Daniel Snyder was pressured to change the name to avoid losing major sponsors, and ultimately, the Commanders were born.
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New owner Josh Harris has made it clear that the name “Redskins” isn’t coming back, explaining, “For obvious reasons, the old name can’t come back,” per The Athletic.
Harris, however, did acknowledge the strong connection fans had to the original name and expressed his focus on uniting the team and its fanbase around future success on the field.
As Breitbart reports, for Rypien and many loyal fans, no matter how much time passes, the team will always be the Redskins.
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