'I am a Redskin': NFL legend Mark Rypien rejects Washington Commanders name but says 'we have to deal with' new moniker

Washington Redskins legend Mark Rypien said the Commanders nickname is not growing on him and never will.

Rypien made the comments during an interview on Washington radio station 106.7 the Fan and was asked how he felt about the Washington team nickname, the Commanders.

"It's not growing on me, and it never will," Rypien responded.

Washington was named the Redskins from 1937 to 2019 until, for political reasons, owners decided to remove the nickname as they themselves found it offensive.

The organization held the interim name of the Washington Football Team for 2020-2021, until becoming the Washington Commanders in 2022.

"I never played for the Commanders. I absolutely support the Commanders and what they're doing now. But I never played for them," Rypien said, according to Athlon Sports. "I am not a Commanders' legend. I am a Redskin. I love my guys," he later said.

Rypien won two Super Bowls with the Redskins, one while on the bench and one as a starting quarterback. He was named MVP for Super Bowl XXVI.

'For obvious reasons, the old name can't come back.'

Rypien expressed the desire for the team to remember its roots and said he hopes the organization doesn't "lose the fact that we were 'Redskins.'"

"That's all I played for. That's what I knew, and that's all we remember."

Rypien also made multiple mentions of the fact that the team is in a new era and, likely to the dismay of some fans, said the name change simply needs to be accepted.

"It's just this day and age now that we have to deal with. ... We are going to support these guys because that's the era we are in."

He continued, "I want to support these guys, this team, and get this Commanders football team back to playing the type of football the Redskins played back in our era."

During a 2024 preseason press conference, Commanders owner Josh Harris said that the Redskins name "can't come back."

"We've been very clear, we can't, for obvious reasons, the old name can't come back," Harris explained, per Audacy.

Harris said he was focusing on unity and "not things that might drive people apart."

He added, "The name is one of those things that [inspires] a lot of opinions, but I mean I can't say ... [I've] certainly not forgotten about it. Like I said, I grew up here. And so, I understand it. We're gonna start to do things that bring us back to our heritage, honoring our past. You saw the gold pants, those are easy things to do."

The naming controversy has steadily been a topic of discussion around the team since its change, but a recent gaff by a marketing employee robbed preseason headlines.

The Commanders vice president of social media content was caught in an undercover journalism sting where he denigrated white and black players on the team.

"Over 50% of our roster, right, is either white, religious, and God says, 'F*** the gays,' in their interpretation," the employee told his undercover date. "Another big chunk is very low income African-American that comes from a community that is inherently very homophobic."

The employee was later fired.

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