On July 3, the team announced it would review the Indians name, which the franchise has had since 1915.
“We appreciate the passionate response over the past several weeks,” owner Paul Dolan said in a statement released Thursday morning.
Dolan met with players on Tuesday. The meeting included manager terry Francona, team president Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff.
“I had a candid and productive meeting with Terry and our players, where they expressed their desire to help our organization in this process,” Dolan said. “Our players care about the organization and feel strongly about social justice and racial equality. I support their interest in using their platform to unite our city and our nation through their actions.
“As I explained to our players, I am invested in engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to help determine the best path forward with regard to our team name. In the coming weeks, we will engage Native American leaders to better understand their perspectives, meet with local civic leaders, and continue to listen to the perceptions of our players, fans, partners and employees. We feel a real sense of urgency to discuss these perspectives with key stakeholders while also taking the time needed to ensure those conversations are inclusive and meaningful.
“We will continue to share periodic updates as we make progress. In the meantime, we are excited for our team to return to the field to continue our pursuit of a World Series Championship.”
The Indians retired their controversial Chief Wahoo logo from their hats and uniforms after the 2018 season. The polarizing caricature was viewed as racist by some and a popular brand for the team by others.
The Indians name has fallen under the same scrutiny as Wahoo and viewed as racist, prompting the internal review.