Was it an honest-to-goodness mistake?
Or was it a more subtle bit of defiance against politically correct culture?
Either way, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles seems to have garnered himself some new fans after he casually referred to the Washington Commanders by their controversial former moniker.
(That moniker, for the unaware, used to be the “Redskins.”)
Bowles, while speaking to reporters in the run-up to his team’s Sunday road debut against the Commanders was asked about preparing to play against a dynamic rookie in Washington first-rounder Jayden Daniels.
“I think if you find yourself just facing a rookie quarterback, the other 10 guys are going to kill you,” Bowles said in a now-viral snippet on social media. “So, we’re facing the Redskins. We’re not facing Jayden Daniels.
“They’ve got 10 other guys that we’ve got to worry about, as well, so we don’t look at it as facing a rookie quarterback — we’re trying to beat the Redskins.”
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on facing Washington:
“I think if you find yourself just facing the rookie quarterback, the other 10 guys are going to kill you so we’re facing the Redskins…we don’t look at it as facing the rookie quarterback, we’re trying to beat the Redskins” pic.twitter.com/dDUQ1ANvmz
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) September 2, 2024
That’s two casual namedrops of the “Redskins” in a 15-second clip — but it was more than enough to whet the appetite of those who want to see the Commanders return to their roots.
Just a cursory glance at any number of the Bowles’ clip being shared, and you will see countless comments generally lauding the Bucs head coach.
W Todd Bowles
— Clay Davis (@_clay_davis) September 3, 2024
Todd Bowles is now my favorite coach in the league
— Mr P1nk (@Just1nTaylor) September 3, 2024
A scholar and a gentleman. A national hero and treasure.
Best of all, this delights both the Native American family that inspired the logo and the Native American family that created the logo. They’re right here on Twitter if you don’t believe me: @RyanWetzelMT @OpsEliteN8vKick
— SkinsDraft (@SkinsDraft) September 3, 2024
He knows what their team name should be
— NoToRiOuSJT_48 (@NoToRiOuSJT_48) September 3, 2024
“He knows what their team name should be,” one X user flatly stated.
Of note, Bowles did play for the Redskins, so it could just be muscle memory.
From the team’s inception in 1933 to 2020, the Washington franchise was known as the Redskins.
For years, there was growing (but contentious) cry from folks who argued that “redskins” was a derogatory slur for Native Americans.
In 2020, the team briefly rebranded to the widely mocked “Washington Football Team” (it was always supposed to be temporary), before eventually rebranding again to the Commanders in 2022.
Despite that gradual transition, many diehard NFL and Redskins fans did not take particularly well to the Commanders moniker.
In fact, as observed by the Bowles’ response above and other recent incidents, it’s pretty clear there is an appetite for the Redskins name to return.