Commanders Continue To Celebrate Redskins Legacy While Pretending It Doesn’t Exist

The Washington Commanders cannot escape the franchise's past and the fact that their championships were won by the Washington Redskins.

Try as it might to erase the Redskins nickname and the accompanying Indian-themed logo — which the franchise abandoned in 2020 under pressure from people offended by such things — the club can't stop referencing and amplifying both.

Redskins helmets lay on the field before a game in 2013. (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Commanders Will Wear Redskins Unis

And Sunday night's prime-time game against the Denver Broncos is an example of that.

The team is wearing its Super Bowl-era uniforms against the Broncos and having Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams and defensive ends Dexter Manley and Charles Mann serve as honorary captains.

In case you're too young to recall Super Bowl XXII, the Redskins played the Broncos. And it looked quite bad for Washington early, as the team fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter.

And then Williams went to work, and Washington scored 35 points in the second quarter. That electric quarter — although depressing for Broncos fans — remains the NFL record for most points in any quarter of a Super Bowl.

Celebrating Redskins Super Bowl Era

The Redskins did that. And the Commanders cannot escape it.

They will not wear the Redskins helmets and insignia on Sunday night — that would apparently be a bridge too far for the franchise. But the Redskins uniforms? Yes.

The fact is the Commanders cannot escape the Redskins’ legacy. And they didn't even try this week.

The club posted a video on Saturday about being "built on a legacy." And all but the final 12 seconds were about the Redskins.

It showed Joe Gibbs in his Redskins cap with the gold "R" scripted on the front and the old logo on his shirt collar. It showed player after player from the championship era in the 1980s and early ’90s — all of them wearing their Redskins uniforms and shiny burgundy helmets adorned with the logo patterned after a Blackfeet Nation chief of yesteryear.

Commanders Posts Recall Redskins

The club also promoted Sunday night's game with a photo on X recalling that long-ago Super Bowl matchup. And yes, the team used the pennants of the current Broncos and Commanders in the photo.

But also prominently in the photo are newspaper clippings from the Washington Post’s front page heralding the "Redskins" 42-10 victory over Denver in the Super Bowl. Who knew the Washington Post was racist?

The team also posted photos of Redskins players in their Redskins uniforms celebrating that Redskins Super Bowl victory.

About those players: 

I never heard one Redskins player complain about the nickname or logo before 2019-2020. I never heard of free agents refusing to play for Washington because of the logo or nickname. It simply wasn't a thing before the media and liberal factions of the public turned it into one.

But even today, many players who did great things for the Redskins continue to defend the old nickname.  

Mark May Proud Of Redskins

Take Mark May, for example: May played nine seasons in Washington from 1981-89. He won two Super Bowl rings in that span.

Last week, the former offensive lineman turned ESPN analyst visited the Little Rock Touchdown Club for one of its signature events. And the subject of the Redskins nickname came up.

"Point blank," May said, "all the tree huggers — and I don't care if you're here or not, you might want to leave the room — but forget about it. It's Redskins. My Super Bowl rings say Redskins. Washington Redskins.

"My grandfather is full Seminole Indian on my mother's side. So I am Native American, and it doesn't bother me at all. And when I asked my grandfather when he was alive, when I was playing in the ’80s, he said, ‘No, grandson, I'm very proud of you playing in the NFL.’"