Commanders may need to revive old logo if team wants to return to RFK
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The RFK bill will get its day in the Senate on Wednesday, but there's a new wrinkle to deal with — and it has to do with the Washington football team's old logo.
Why it matters: Like many things in Congress, the bill to allow the redevelopment of the former stadium site is moving very, very, slowly.
What I'm hearing: Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) will say this morning at a committee hearing that he wants the Commanders to honor its old logo depicting a Native American. The logo was designed in the early 1970s by Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana.
- Ryan Wetzel, Walter's grandson, is advocating for the logo to adorn throwback jerseys or be used in another way.
"What I am demanding is straightforward: that the new team leadership and the NFL sit down with the Wetzel family, sit down with the Blackfeet, sit down with tribal leaders, and find a way to properly honor the history of the logo and heritage of our tribal nations, and to rededicate the organization as an advocate for Indian Country," Daines plans to say, according to prepared remarks.
- Or else Daines will oppose the bill. The powerful senator can singlehandedly block the bill in the National Parks subcommittee.
Zoom out: Coincidently, the Commanders were in hot water this past week after head coach Dan Quinn wore an unofficial T-shirt that showed the team's "W" logo and two feathers hanging off it — a reference to the team's former logo.
- Some diehards were gleeful, a reminder that a slice of Washington football fandom still reminisces for the old. Quinn ended up apologizing (wearing anything unlicensed is a big no-no in the NFL).
What they're saying: Wetzel wants the team to find a positive way to honor Native Americans, instead of altogether wiping out its history with the community (however problematic).
- He met virtually with franchise officials on Monday. "It was very positive," Wetzel says. "They're willing to look at how to honor my grandfather."
- A team spokesperson said that the Commanders are "working collaboratively to recognize Blackie Wetzel for his contributions in creating our former logo."
Zoom in: For the Bowser administration, who just want this darn bill to pass already, all of this is yet another sideshow.
- A Hail Mary ask from the city earlier this month wanted senators to just stuff it into a must-pass congressional bill. But that fizzled.
- Now it's gotta satisfy Sen. Daines' request — and expected maneuvering from Maryland and Virginia senators, whose states would like the economic opportunity from a new Commanders stadium just as much as D.C.
The intrigue: If and when the RFK bill is passed, the city government wants to be ready to draw up proposals for a new stadium and neighborhood district at the 190-acre site.
- Over the weekend, we learned that Sarosh Olpadwala, an economic development official in the Bowser administration, is moving into a new position, first reported by Tom Sherwood. Olpadwala will work directly with the mayor's senior adviser Beverly Perry, who is running point on the RFK lobbying.
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