Joe Theismann calls Cleveland Indians' name change a 'sign for the times'
Former Washington Redskins quarterback discusses accepting the name change and moving forward on 'Fox News Primetime'
Joe Theismann joined "Fox News Primetime" Friday to discuss Cleveland's MLB team changing their name from the Indians to the Guardians.
JOE THEISMANN: I think it’s a sign of the times. Socially, I really believe that this is what we are dealing with. You see names being changed. You are never going to get rid of the history. We won three world champions as the Washington Redskins. Cleveland has had success as a franchise as the Cleveland Indians. Those are things, I hope and pray, will remain. I say this to those young people that are going to be a part of those franchises going forward: It’s your turn to create a new legacy. It’s your turn to create something under a new name and, like I said, it’s a sign of the times that we’re living in. It’s the pressures that people are under—whether it’s economic pressure, whether it’s outcries—whatever it might be. It’s just something that is here and to cry over spilled milk just wouldn’t do any good. I think you have to accept it and move forward with it. There is a lot of history in Cleveland. There was a lot of history with the Washington franchise going all the way back about 87 years but now it’s time to... I think we have to open our eyes and say —OK, now we are moving to another era, another time and another place for young players.
Well, I would assume that there is going to be conversations about it, exactly what happens. I mean, let’s take the Florida State Seminoles as an example. The Seminoles have basically said, "Don’t touch our football team. Don’t touch Florida State. We’re not changing the name." So, that’s a group that has stood up and said it’s not going to happen. I don’t know what’s going to happen in Kansas City and I’m not sure what’s going to happen in Atlanta. Atlanta has basically said, "We will get rid of the chop but we want to keep the name." So, you just don’t know what pressure is going to come to bear in the future to ask these franchises to make the changes that they will be asked to make—if they are.
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