July 3, 2020

FedEx asks Redskins to change name

FedEx, which owns the naming rights to the Washington Redskins stadium, has asked the Redskins to rename the team.

"We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name," read a statement from the company.

FedEx was one of three sponsors to receive a letter signed by 87 investment firms and shareholders asking them to cut ties with the Redskins unless they change their nickname. They are caught in a 'catch-22.'

The other companies are Nike and PepsiCo.

Start boycotting now

Overtly opportunistic Nike, who supplies Washington's uniforms and equipment, removed all Redskins gear from its website Thursday. It has also entirely omitted the franchise from its vertical drop-down menu for NFL team apparel.

FedEx gained Washington's stadium naming rights in 1999. It runs through 2025.

Frederick Smith, the founder of FedEx, is a Redskins minority owner.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder said in 2013: "We will never change the name of the team."

Snyder purchased the franchise and its current stadium in 1999.

The team's name has been used by the franchise since its inaugural season in 1933 under the ownership of founder George Preston Marshall.