Team president Chris Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and manager Terry Francona were also in the room for the discussion.
“The way the players expressed themselves in a mature manner and in a respectful manner, and the way Paul listened and spoke back to the players, I was really, really happy and content to just sit there and let them talk back and forth,” Francona said.
“It’s one of the reasons I speak so glowingly about our organization.”
Francona praised Dolan and his players for holding an open, honest and respectful conversation about what has become a controversial issue.
“It’s not going to mean that everybody’s always going to exactly agree or be on the same page,” Francona said. “I don’t know that you’re supposed to be all the time. I mean, shoot, that’s just the way our world is, but when everybody listens with respect and talks with respect, I think we have a chance to move forward, again, with respect.”
The meeting with Dolan is unusual – not just for the organization but for baseball in general.
Francona viewed Dolan’s willingness to openly discuss the issue yet another example of why he’s proud to manage the team.
“I told the players that today,” Francona said. “This is why I’m so proud to be here, because these things don’t happen everywhere.”
The Indians announced on July 3 they would evaluate whether to move forward with the name of the franchise in the wake of Washington’s NFL team announcing the same following pressure from sponsors to make a change.
Francona said a few weeks ago he felt it was time for the franchise to “move forward” with a new name but he also didn’t want to influence how his players felt about the Indians name.
“I don’t feel like it’s my business to sway our players to feel one way or another about that,” Francona said. “I just don’t feel right about that.”
Indians officials plan to make their evaluation independent of Washington’s. The NFL franchise swiftly decided to retire their name earlier this month.
No timetable for a decision has been made for Cleveland’s baseball club.
“I don’t know that anything was actually resolved, and I don’t know if it needed to be,” Francona said. “I just thought it was really good for the players to share their opinions, and let Paul be in the room and hear them and also to share his opinions as an owner.”
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.