Ex-Commanders star backs Donald Trump's demand to change team name back to Washington Redskins

A Trump administration cabinet member and former Washington NFL star has echoed the president's desire to restore the 'Redskins' nickname.

Trump made his affinity for the defunct nickname known on Sunday in a series of social media posts, as he urged the Commanders to 'immediately' revert to their old moniker.

The president claimed on Truth Social that 'there is a big clamoring for this,' and a former Washington cornerback-turned politician ultimately agreed with him.

'I played in the NFL and was drafted by the Washington Redskins. Not the 'Washington Football Team' or the 'Commanders,' Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner said on X.

'@POTUS is right. It's time to bring the Redskins' name back.''

Turner, 53, was selected in the seventh round of the 1995 NFL Draft by Washington and spent the first three seasons of his career there.

He later played for the Chargers and Broncos before wrapping up his career in 2003.

Known as the Commanders since 2022, Washington's football team dropped the controversial moniker five years ago (under previous owner Daniel Snyder) following a summer of racial unrest.

They were initially known as the 'Washington Football Team' before ultimately adopting the 'Commanders.' 

In calling for the team to change its name on Sunday, Trump referred to the Commanders as the 'Washington 'Whatever's' while claiming that Native Americans were in favor of the controversial name.

'Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen,' he claimed. 'Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!'

In a follow-up post, he wrote: 'My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way.

'I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington.

'The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone. Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians. The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change.

'What he doesn't understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!'

Daily Mail has reached out to Commanders spokespeople for comment. 

Trump also demanded that the MLB's Cleveland Guardians, formerly known as the 'Indians,' change their name back as well.

Fans and even some Native American groups have voiced support for the team's new ownership group to revert to 'Redskins.' 

Several public opinion polls of self-identified Native Americans have found most were not offended by the term, while critics have pointed to academic research by the University of Michigan and UC Berkeley that found the opposite was true

A 2016 Washington Post poll found that 90 percent of the 504 Native American respondents were 'not bothered' by the team's name. Now-former team owner Daniel Snyder ultimately wrote an open letter, defending his decision to keep the moniker by citing the study.

However, that survey and other similar studies have been slammed by journalists and social scientists as being unreliable.

In March of 2020, UC Berkeley revealed a study that found that more than half of its 1,000 Native American respondents were offended by the team name.

Under the Commanders name last year, the team finished 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1992.