On Wednesday morning, Kevin Sheehan went off on a rant about those people who lecture others about where a Commanders rebrand should fall on your personal priority and wish list for new owners, which you can read and listen to here.
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Chris Russell was of course on air after Sheehan, and realized that “maybe, I go a little bit hard” on what people should think and care about, because The Rooster was one of those who Sheehan off-handedly called ‘limited emotionally’ for doing so.
“We’re not here to play tiddlywinks, we are here to be controversial and interesting and give you some thought,” Russell said. “One of our fans told me Kevin was calling me out, but listen: controversy, and different opinions, makes for good radio. There is no denying Kevin and I are on different sides of the aisle on certain issues, just like many are – many of you don’t like me because I feel strongly about things you disagree with, and I try not to take that personally.”
Here’s what Russell had to say ‘in total honesty and respect’ about Sheehan’s rant and the idea of rebranding again and again:
“I totally understand those fans of this franchise who did not want to change the name from Redskins when Dan Snyder was forced to cave in. I blame him for not having a better plan, but I do not blame him, like many of you, because he didn’t do it voluntarily. My argument, and where I think Kevin and I are on the same page I think, is that I would’ve never changed the name. In a perfect world, even though some were offended by it and it is a dictionary-defined slur, I’d have never changed the name, because it meant something completely different than what people were trying to twist it as.”
That’s a societal norm these days, Russell believes, and says society ‘shapes the narrative through the prism with which we want to see it.’
“For many, that was the last straw for Snyder, and thousands of people that went to games on a regular basis did not come back when fans were allowed back because of it,” Russell said. “I can’t blame those people, because you are under no obligation to support what you don’t want to, but I will say this: I had absolutely no problem with anyone that did not want to change the name. That was a fight worth making, but my problem was that when they decided with no real input to go to the name Commanders, I said ‘that’s what they chose, it is what it is, no big deal.’”
Because it is what it is, and it simply is, that’s where Russell draws his line.
“It wasn’t a favorite of mine, but where I draw the line and divorce myself from many, including my friend Kevin Sheehan, is a fourth name and identity and brand change in less than four years is way too much. That’s the problem I have,” he said. “It’s not that I love the name Commanders, I have no feeling for it and it means nothing to me, because I don’t associate my fandom based on a name. It was a poorly and hastily executed decision and wasn’t great, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to change again to another new name that will be divisive to some. I’m not even willing to consider it. That’s the crux of the argument; it’s not ‘let’s go back to the Redskins’ or ‘the name doesn’t matter at all,’ it’s ‘leave it alone.’ Some people were offended by the old name, but apparently, many were not, and looked at it as a source of pride and dignity. The organization had no backup plan, though, and when things out of their control happened and society changed, it led to a change…but going from Commanders to a fourth name in four or five years is a battle I think is important and worth our time.”
Listen to Russell’s entire rant to start Wednesday’s show above!
Follow Chris Russell on Twitter: @Russellmania621
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