Dan Snyder hires new executive to oversee naming process

The Washington Redskins have hired an executive to help oversee the team’s rebranding process.

The team announced Monday owner Dan Snyder will work closely with Terry Bateman, a longtime adviser to Snyder who has previously worked with the franchise. Snyder named Bateman an executive vice president and chief marketing officer. 

According to Washington, Bateman will “be leading the charge on the name change and branding process along with owner Dan Snyder.”

Bateman will hold similar duties to that of former president of business operations Brian Lafemina, who was ousted in 2018 less than a year into the job. He’ll oversee aspects such as marketing, sponsorships and internet and business strategy. 

“Terry Bateman is a man I trust and have worked with for many years,” Snyder said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better individual to help spearhead this organization’s marketing efforts into this new era.” 

Bateman’s hiring comes at a particularly crucial time for the franchise after it announced last week the team would retire “Redskins” following the conclusion of its ongoing review. Washington faces pressure to have a new name in place before the start of the regular season, which starts in less than two months. 

Bateman’s hire, in theory, should help ease some of the responsibilities given to coach Ron Rivera, allowing him to focus more on football with training camp eight days away.

In addition to overseeing a rebuild of a 3-13 football team, Rivera had been tasked with closely working with Snyder on the name change and played a pivotal role in crafting the team’s response to George Floyd’s death. He also recently issued a statement in response to the sexual harassment allegations against five former high-ranking Washington officials.

Over the weekend, Rivera told the Charlotte Observer he had “no regrets” about taking the job.

“I want to build a sustainable winning culture, in every facet,” Rivera said. 

The move is also important for Washington, given it lacked a clear leader on the team’s business side after former team president Bruce Allen was fired in late December. Allen had been overseeing the business side of the operation since Lafemina’s firing in December 2018. 

Batman has more than 40 years experience as a marketing executive, according to the team. He served as the chief executive officer for three companies.

In the mid-1990s, Bateman served as the president for Snyder Communications Inc.’s marketing services division — the company that Snyder amassed his wealth with.

“I am very excited to be joining the organization at such a critical moment in history,” Bateman said. “I want to thank Dan for giving me the opportunity to come back and provide my perspective and expertise while we work to develop a new era for this proud franchise.”