‘We are not your mascot’: Native American groups oppose new ‘harmful’ Washington Commanders spear logo

After years of controversy over the name and logo of the Washington, D.C., professional football team, its newest version was revealed on Wednesday to even more controversy.

The team adapted its Washington Commanders logo to include a spear running through it, apparently in reference to the previous Redskins logo and name.

‘It is time to stop repeating this cycle and listen to Native Peoples who have been clear, consistent, and unwavering on this issue: We are not your mascot.’

“Spear and W interweave at their centers, a powerful joining of past and present,” reads a post from the team on social media. “A design that captures the forward-focused spirit of the Commander, a leader of warriors.”

The Association on American Indian Affairs released a statement to USA Today opposing the logo.

“The Washington Commanders’ decision to update their logo is disappointing and inappropriate to say the least,” the statement reads. “It is time to stop repeating this cycle and listen to Native Peoples who have been clear, consistent, and unwavering on this issue: We are not your mascot.”

The National Congress of American Indians also opposed the new logo.

“The new alternate logo, released by the franchise this week, purports to join the past and present,” the group said in a statement. “NCAI maintains that any prideful nod to a harmful past, even one that may appear harmless on its face, can carry an insidious message and is therefore harmful.”

Others have previously called for the return of the Redskins name and logo.

Thomas White Calf told the New York Times that the former name and logo were patterned after his late uncle, Two Guns White Calf. He said restoring the old logo would honor his family and the Native American community.

“Cancel-culture racists decided at some point they wanted to get rid of Indian images in the public domain. The Redskins and Two Guns were their No. 1 target,” he said in Aug. 2025.

RELATED: Family of tribal chief who inspired Redskins logo calls for team to bring his ‘proud’ image back

The USA Today report included a statement of support for the new spear logo from the Native American Guardians Association.

“It’s encouraging to have a small piece of Native imagery represented again, honoring the deep connection between Native heritage and America’s sports traditions,” said the group’s president, Becky Clayton-Anderson.

Indigenous scholar Marcus Briggs-Cloud, on the other hand, said that “the image harkens back to European contrived imaginaries of the noble savage that reduce Indigenous Peoples to identities rooted in violence.”

The NFL draft begins on Thursday, while the next season is scheduled to begin on Sept. 9.

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