Landover, MD. New Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris has issued a set of priorities that will take the franchise farther back from the past two decades under previous owner Dan Snyder.
But he was not yet ready for a possible name change, and saved that topic for another day.
“A lot of things happened, and it’s unfortunate,” Harris said at a press conference on Friday. “We’re focused on changing the culture. It’s about creating a management team that doesn’t look the same. It’s about zero tolerance for ethically challenged behavior. When you own a sports team in a city, everyone looks at what you do.
“Everyone who works on the team…they are a reflection of that [the fans]. It’s all about culture. We are very interested in culture.”
This comment elicited applause from a number of the staff and guests present. Problems in those areas during Snyder’s 24-year reign helped erode the fan base. But Harris’s arrival heralded a new day.
“We want to change everything that happened to this franchise,” said NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a Harris Limited Partner.
Whether or not it leads to a name change remains to be seen. Washington dropped its original name in July 2020 and replaced it with a temporary name for the next two years – the Washington Football Team – before unveiling the leaders in February 2022. Some fans have spoken of their disdain for the new name and demanded another change. By NFL rule, a team has to wait five years before it can rebrand again — but there is an exception for a new owner.
Harris said he is focusing more on immediate issues, such as the football season, and giving back to the community to reconnect with his fan base and improve the fan experience at matches.
“It’s not about how I feel, it’s about how the city feels about all of this stuff,” Harris said when asked in part if he liked the name. “We’ll look at everything and see where we are, but those are our three priorities right now.”
An estimated 5,000 fans attended an event at FedEx Field on Friday afternoon to celebrate the Harris Group’s takeover. They were joined by a number of former Washington players, including Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green and Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs.
The NFL’s owners unanimously approved the sale to Harris on Thursday.
After Harris addressed the media, he headed over to where the fans were. He took to the stage and exchanged wedding ceremonies with fans. Later, after Johnson addressed the crowd, fans began chanting, “Thank you, Josh! Thank you, Josh!”
“I waited seven years to see a fan base like this,” Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen told the crowd earlier in the event.
Receiver Terry McLaurin, the other current player in attendance, said, “There’s excitement here; there’s a lot of optimism for the future.”
Since Washington drafted him in 2019, McLaurin has been the part of a franchise that has provided more news for off-field issues than on-field success. Snyder has been the focal point of numerous investigations of his behavior and the work atmosphere he created—by the NFL on two occasions, Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, and attorneys general in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
“You don’t really understand the significance of it all,” McLaurin said. “I couldn’t even estimate the weight, but when you get the questions, obviously the stuff you see in the media and things like that — they weigh you down. Now it’s like a clean slate for everyone.
“Everyone needs to get back to focusing on what’s on the field rather than worrying about what could happen off the field.”
Harris, who was born in the D.C. area — his limited partners feature many in the area — has also been noncommittal about any plans for the stadium. They will consider locations in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia.
But a new stadium likely won’t be sited until next summer — and won’t be built before 2030. That means they have to spend the money to maintain FedEx, which opened in 1997. There have been problems with drainage pipes and other parts of the stadium over the years, including a fence that collapsed, knocking a handful of Philadelphia fans to the ground, during the 2021 season.
Current team officials said the stadium had been neglected until the previous two years.
“You don’t really understand the scale of it all. … Now it feels like a clean slate for everyone. Everyone should get back to focusing on what’s on the field instead of worrying about what could happen off the field.”
Leaders WR Terry McLaurin
“When you have guests in your home, you treat them well,” Harris said. “You don’t have broken sofas. You don’t have televisions that don’t work. That’s what we’re focusing on right now.”
At Harris’ press conference, Johnson also spoke to the assembled media and called dignitaries. At least ten former players attended, marking Washington’s success in the 1980s and early 1990s in particular when the team won three Super Bowls and played in a fourth.
Johnson recalled: “When Josh and I talked, the first thing I said was, ‘Do you want to win?'” “He said yes. I said, I’m in. I don’t invest in sports teams for ego’s sake. I invest for winning.”
Then he referred to some of Washington’s former greats.
“They didn’t just win Super Bowls,” Johnson said. “They make the community great.”