Target joined the slew of companies Monday to stop selling Washington Redskins memorabilia on its website in wake of the renewed push for the team to change its name.
Target is now at least the third company — along with Nike and Walmart — to get rid of any references to the Redskins online. The Redskins announced last week they would conduct a review of their name, which many believe will lead to a change.
CNN Business was the first to report Target had cut ties with the Redskins.
“We are in the process of removing the items from our assortment,” Target said in a statement.
Within the two last weeks, the corporate world has pressured the Redskins to take action over their name, which many deem offensive. A group of 87 investment firms sent letters to FedEx, Nike and Pepsi — the team’s three major sponsors — and urged them to sever ties with the Redskins unless the name was changed.
On Thursday, FedEx, which owns the naming rights to the team’s stadium in Maryland, said in a statement it had asked Washington to change the name — a considerable shift given FedEX CEO Fred Smith is part of the Redskins’ ownership group.
That same night, Nike pulled all Redskins gear from its website.
On Friday, the day the Redskins announced their review, Walmart tweeted: “We are discontinuing the sale of items that reference the team’s name and logo.”
PepsiCo said in a statement that it was glad to see Washington undergo a review of its name.
“We have been in conversations with the NFL and Washington management for a few weeks about this issue,” PepsiCo said. We believe it is time for a change. We are pleased to see the steps the team announced today, and we look forward to continued partnership.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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