Caleb Williams almost refers to Commanders as Redskins ahead of all-important Washington clash
Caleb Williams referred to the Commanders by its former name, the Redskins during his press conference.
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Caleb Williams (Image via X)
It has been two years since the Washington Redskins changed their name to the Washington Football Team before settling on the Commanders as the permanent suffix. However, the original name has not escaped the minds of true fans and well, competitors. Ahead of the impending Week 8 matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams made an honest blunder at his mid-week press conference.
The rookie quarterback is coming off his best performance this season after throwing for 226 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He is going up against the favorite for offensive rookie of the year at this point in the season, Jayden Daniels this week, except he made a noticeable blunder while naming the team of his peer from the same draft class.
Caleb Williams was asked a question about Kliff Kingsbury with whom he worked closely last season and will be going up against this week as he is the offensive coordinator for the Commanders. The quarterback had a slip of the tongue while talking about his hometown team.
Yeah, obviously I’ve been around Kliff, great guy, great coach. If you go and ask all the guys over there at the Red… Commanders sorry, I’ve known them as the Redskins all my life growing up there but the Commanders, you know, you go there and ask all the players, they love him because he’s a players coach…
Caleb Williams said
Bears QB Caleb Williams almost calls the team the Redskins when discussing Kliff Kingsbury:
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) October 24, 2024
“Great guy, great coach. If you go and ask all the guys over there at the red or Commanders now…Sorry, I’ve known them as the Redskins all my life growing up there…” pic.twitter.com/dKGoBKRcnL
Caleb Williams was born and raised in Washington D.C.
Since he was a little boy, he loved watching the Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders). He grew up in the D.C. Metro area and is accustomed to referring to the home team by the name it obtained in the year 1937. However, the name has been a subject of controversy since the 1960s as it gathered scrutiny and criticism from the Native Americans.
The year 2020 was a tipping point for the team after the death of George Floyd. The term ‘redskin’ was considered offensive and Merriam-Webster dictionary classifies the word as a slur used to reference Native Americans. This was not a complaint that came out of the blue but was years in the making, however, the previous owner of the Commanders, Daniel Snyder was able to fight the criticism and lawsuits against the organization.
In 2020, George Floyd’s death put the subject of systemic racism and racial injustice into the limelight. This prompted sponsors such as Nike, Pepsi, and FedEx, who paid the team for naming rights to its home stadium to step up and urge the team to change its identity.
It was at this point that Snyder dropped the name Redskins and began considering other names for the team. Until a new name was decided upon, they were known as the Washington Football Team. However, shortly after they were able to settle on the name Commanders as the new identity of this team.
It was a change for lifetime fans of the home team but they have gotten used to it over time. The Bears-Commanders matchup will be an interesting one to see as fans will get to see two talented rookie quarterbacks go at it. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders have been phenomenal this season. They have shocked the entire NFL by sitting atop the NFC East with a record of 5-2. As for the Chicago Bears, the team has begun to find itself and show streaks of great potential.
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Sumedh Joshi
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