Cleveland Players, Owner Meet to Discuss Name Change

No decision on 'Indians' was made
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 21, 2020 6:23 PM CDT
Cleveland Players, Owner Meet to Discuss Name Change
Members of the Cleveland Indians stand for the National Anthem before a preseason baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday, July 20, 2020, in Cleveland.   (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Cleveland's players met Tuesday with owner Paul Dolan to discuss a potential name change for the team, which has been called the Indians for the past 105 years. Manager Terry Francona said the group had an “honest” conversation and he came away proud of how it was handled by all involved, the AP reports. "The way the players expressed themselves in a mature manner and in a respectful manner, and the way Paul listened and spoke back to the players,” said Francona, who attended the meeting along with team president Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff. “I was really, really happy and content to just sit there and let them talk back and forth.” Francona stressed that nothing has been resolved over the controversial topic.

Francona, who has been Cleveland's manager since 2013, was outspoken on the possible name change several weeks ago, saying it was “time to move forward.” He said Tuesday, however, that he didn't want his stance to have any influence on his players. The franchise recently announced it was in the early stages of meeting with the community and appropriate stakeholders “to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name.” The Indians' move coincided with the recent decision by Washington's NFL team to drop the name Redskins, which had been decried as being racist for decades. Cleveland has removed its contentious Chief Wahoo logo from its game jerseys and caps but fans can still buy merchandise bearing the mascot.

(More Cleveland Indians stories.)

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