Washington Football Team Bans Warpaint, Native Headdresses at Games

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Warner Todd Huston

In the next step to purging its past, the Washington Football Team has alerted fans that warpaint and native American headdresses and feathers are now banned at FedEx Field.

On Wednesday, the ban was announced in an email to ticket holders telling fans that wearing the “burgundy and gold” is fine, but Native American garb is not.

“We are excited to welcome everyone back wearing their Burgundy & Gold. However, Native American inspired ceremonial headdresses or face paint may no longer be worn into the stadium,” the email exclaimed.

The newest move to erase the past connection to Native American history comes on the heels of last month’s declaration that the team will not adopt the name the “Warriors” or any other name that might evoke Native Americans, even tangentially.

The decision against “Warriors” was made after a survey of season ticket holders discovered that the name was the favored replacement for “Redskins.”

However, the suggestion was deemed a “slippery slope” back towards Native imagery.

“We have 89 years of history in this league, and failing to acknowledge our past use of Native imagery in the consideration of the new name wouldn’t be mindful of the individuals and communities that were hurt by the previous name,” team president Jason Wright said. “We’ve made significant changes in our organization and our culture, and our new name must reflect these changes.”

Wright concluded, saying, “this may be disappointing for some folks,” and added that a “new identity should unite us and in turn, bring us together the way this team comes together on the football field.”

The team has said that a permanent name change will be announced before the start of the 2022 season.

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