Each week, NFL team PR departments release a game release for the upcoming matchup. We get them every week for the San Francisco 49ers, which is where we get data for the Prospector's Guide, and find all sorts of random information. It is usually pretty low key, and something people don't think a whole lot about.
This week, the Philadelphia Eagles face Washington, and the Eagles media guide is choosing not to use Washington's team name. We've had plenty of debates here about the use of Washington's team name, and the debate has grown across the media in the last couple years. The Eagles are not using the name in the guide, and according to Bleeding Green Nation, @Eagles and @EaglesInsider Twitter accounts have not been including it.
This is interesting. The #Eagles appear to have wiped the name #Redskins from this week's weekly media guide. #NFL pic.twitter.com/VgA9ksVrbi
— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 30, 2015
This is not the first time an NFL team has seemingly danced around the Washington team name. When I was searching for this tweet, someone tweeted at the writer that the New York Giants social media was not using the team name. A year ago, the 49ers Twitter and Facebook accounts did not use the team name. The name still appeared in media guides and other content, but there was a distinct lack of the R word showing up on social media.
I would not expect the Eagles to specifically acknowledge what might be happening, but it is intriguing to me. I've heard from sources in the past that the NFL has made it clear they do not want teams talking about this controversy. The NFL tries to present a united front where possible, but it would not surprise me if the occasional PR person is putting forth their own minor protest.
Of course, this could also just be the Eagles PR team trying to annoy Washington as part of their long-standing NFC East rivalry. That would not surprise me in the least.