‘Doing the right thing.’ Super Bowl champ from Stratford supports Redskins name change

A Super Bowl-winning former Washington Redskins player who grew up in Stratford says he supports the team’s decision to change its name and logo in the wake of the growing social justice movement in America.

The team announced on Monday that it will be dropping the name and logo after 87 years amid corporate and public pressure over the name's racial connotations.

Team Owner Dan Snyder had previously resisted changing the name despite complaints that it was offensive to Native Americans.

Nick Giaquinto, a member of the 1983 championship team in Washington, says he understands why the term is derogatory. He believes rebranding doesn't take away from what the organization has accomplished over the years.

“The history is the same, the organization is the same, the players and the fans are going to be the same, so it's an issue that needed to be changed and they're doing the right thing,” he told News 12.

Washington's new name has not been unveiled yet. Giaquinto told News 12 that he is in favor of the team being renamed the Red Tails after World War II Tuskegee Airmen - an all-African American Air Force unit.

After his professional football career, Giaquinto turned his attention to baseball and was head coach at Sacred Heart University for more 25 years.

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