The Washington Football Team didn't do itself any favors, in the interest of keeping its new name under wraps, by announcing a month in advance when the new name would be announced.
With Wednesday morning's official name reveal only days off, a month of speculation has led to leaks upon leaks and possibly – maybe – even the team itself mistakenly blowing its own surprise.
And now, just two days out, we bring you these comments from Washington franchise legend Joe Theismann, who will be in attendance for the official name announcement at FedEx Field on Wednesday, speaking with some level of certainty about the new name.
"I think the Commanders is a name that is going to be hopefully one that people will talk about going forward," Theismann told The DA Show on CBS Sports Radio Monday morning.
"So you like the Commanders as the new team name, huh," show host Damon Amendolara followed up.
"Yeah," Theismann said. "There were so many different options, but once again, it's trademark infringement, it's getting approval from different people. If you choose a name, is there a group out there that isn't going to like it? I mean there's so many things that you have to consider. Commander, basically, it's Washington, D.C. A lot of commanders in Washington, D.C. in the Pentagon and a lot of different branches of the service. So to me, that's certainly the way I'm looking at it, as positions of leadership, when it comes to the new name."
Theismann did specify that he hasn't seen any official renderings of the new name and logo, only the unconfirmed leaks that have circulated online. Regardless, we'll find out in two days if he knows more than he's letting on and inadvertently tipped his hand on national radio.
"I am excited. I'm excited for the players, I'm excited for the fans," Theismann said. "I know some people are disappointed and they wanted it the way it was, but we know that wasn't going to happen. I just didn't feel like the Washington Football Team really, um — first of all, you can't write a jingle to it, so that was one thing that was an issue."
Amendolara (singing): "Hail to the Football Team..."
"No. You've got to get Washington in there," Theismann corrected. "It's just so long, that's the thing. But I'm excited for everything going forward. There's a lot of newness that's gonna take place. There's newness in the organization. There's newness in the management level. There's newness when it comes to the name, the logo."
"I'm glad that we're keeping the colors basically the same. They are gonna be the same," he continued. "But I'm curious. I know the fans, some are gonna be disappointed, some are gonna be excited. And all I simply say to the fans is just give it some time. I mean nothing happens overnight. Just as a classic, D.A., the Rams took two years to get the logo change on their helmet approved. So there's a process that, it takes time."
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