Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan said the organization is engaging with Native American leaders and key stakeholders to determine the franchise’s path to a potential name change.
The team said in a statement released July 3 that it would begin the process of investigating a name change, which followed the removal of the Redskins name from the NFL’s Washington franchise.
Indians manager Terry Francona said he supports a name change, and has shared ideas with Dolan.
On Thursday, Dolan expanded on his own thoughts and the team’s plan:
“As we approach Opening Day, I wanted to provide an update regarding our team name and our plan moving forward. In our July 3rd statement, we shared a commitment to listening and learning from our community, and we appreciate the passionate response over the past several weeks.
“Earlier this week, I had a candid and productive meeting with Terry and our players, where they expressed their desire to help our organization in this process. Our players care about the organization and feel strongly about social justice and racial equality. I support their interest in using their platform to unite our city and our nation through their actions.
“As I explained to our players, I am invested in engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to help determine the best path forward with regard to our team name. In the coming weeks, we will engage Native American leaders to better understand their perspectives, meet with local civic leaders, and continue to listen to the perceptions of our players, fans, partners and employees. We feel a real sense of urgency to discuss these perspectives with key stakeholders while also taking the time needed to ensure those conversations are inclusive and meaningful.
“We will continue to share periodic updates as we make progress. In the meantime, we are excited for our team to return to the field to continue our pursuit of a World Series Championship.”
(Field Level Media)
