'A New Day' & New Name Coming for Commanders Says Die-Hard Celebrity Fan

The Washington Commanders are hard at work redirecting the future behind managing partner Josh Harris.

Fans everywhere celebrated the arrival of the new Washington Commanders ownership group led by Josh Harris, including Academy Award-nominated actor Jeffrey Wright who recently appeared on the Rich Eisen Show to discuss everything happening surrounding his favorite NFL team.

Harris’ awareness of the franchise's history, having grown up attending games at RFK Stadium long before the Commanders were a thing, resonated strongly with other fans and their belief that he knew what it meant to support the team from afar gained him instant approval. 

The Washington Commanders have come one step closer to being sold after breaking news that Dan and Tanya Snyder have agreed to a deal with a group including Josh Harris (left) and Magic Johnson (right) / USA Today

That good faith has extended into the offseason as initial shock or letdown surrounding the hiring of new Washington coach Dan Quinn has turned to excitement and anticipation for what's to come.

Even before the addition of several exciting members of Quinn's staff arrived, fans had begun to warm to the idea of a 'retread' getting his second chance with their team.

Wright, whose connection with Harris - and the root of his confidence in him - stretches far beyond anything happening today is counted among the fans with high hopes for what’s to come on and off the field.

"It's a new day. Actually, Josh Harris, who is our new owner, is a buddy of mine from summer camp," Wright said. "As soon as the news came out that the previous owner was considering a sale I reached out to them...and sure enough Josh is at the helm now. So I bought season tickets again, I had let my mom's lapse...but I let them lapse after she passed because I was like, 'Man, I just can't do it.' and I bought tickets again."

Faith in sports teams and figures is a strange animal sometimes, and believe it or not, for teams building their foundation of winning doing it is not always required. 

Just last season, despite years of sub-.500 football, a close loss against the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles boosted fan confidence that the team was becoming competitive.

That boost was short-lived because of what happened next, but it goes to show that Harris doesn't have to deliver a Super Bowl in 2024 to keep himself in the good graces of his supporters. 

He just needs to show them he's got the ship moving in the right direction.

A direction, many hope, picks up a rebranding effort on the way to The Island of Future Lombardi Trophies.

"I do," Wright said when asked if the team should change its name. "I think what's happening is that everything related to the previous era is being undone and to that point, I was talking to Josh about fan experience stuff particularly and he was like, 'Hey, slow down bro. I'm trying to fix the plumbing in the stadium.' ... So everything within the organization, the infrastructure, needed to be scanned and needed to be addressed - assessed - and needed to be worked through. And that's what he's doing. And he knows what this franchise was, he knows what fans want it to be...So he's got that competitive spirit...he's going about it the right way."

Harris and his fellow owners have been non-committal in their comments on rebranding the team for the third time since 2020 when they originally moved to the moniker 'Washington Football Team' as a placeholder until a new identity could be created.

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While the Commanders brand is supposed to pay homage to the District's deep ties to the military, many have found it to be uninspired and desire a different name by which to call their favorite team. 

Others, on the other hand, prefer the team just focus on winning, and love for the name will come with it. 

As long as Harris and his co-owners choose to keep the conversation alive by not dousing it with confirmation the brand is here to stay, however, the conversation will continue - as will the attempt at restoring Washington football to its former glory.