A Timeline of the Washington Commanders Under Dan Snyder

MAY 2018

Cheerleaders accuse the team of sexual harassment.

In 2018, five former cheerleaders told The New York Times that they were sexually harassed and intimidated by the team and sponsors during a trip to Costa Rica for a swimsuit calendar photo shoot. The cheerleaders described being “pimped out” to the team’s male sponsors who were invited to photo shoots where the cheerleaders were made to pose for photos while scantily dressed or, in some cases, naked.

After an internal investigation that lasted four months, Washington announced changes to the cheerleading team, including “more conservative outfits,” the inclusion of male cheerleaders, and a ban on suite holders at the team’s photo shoots. In 2021, the cheerleading program was scrapped in favor a coed dance team.

July 13, 2020

Pressure from corporate sponsors leads Washington to retire its contentious nickname.

Days after the team’s biggest corporate sponsor, FedEx, asked the team to reconsider its name and mascot, Washington announced in a statement that it would drop the name and logo and rebrand. The franchise would be identified as the Washington Football Team until a replacement was decided upon.

The move came weeks after other team sponsors, including Nike and Pepsi, received letters from investors who called on the companies to cut their ties with the team. On July 2, FedEx, which pays about $8 million a year to have its name on the team’s stadium in Landover, Md., told the team in a letter that if the team did not change its nickname it would ask that “FedEx” be taken off the stadium at the end of the season.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/sports/football/dan-snyder-washington-commanders-key-moments.html