During a Tuesday morning episode of Longshore and McKnight, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville spoke about President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to convince leadership within the NFL’s Washington Commanders franchise that the team should return to its former name, the Washington Redskins.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) noted Trump has been vocal about the issue on multiple occasions.
“I’ve been around him when he’s vented about it,” the lawmaker said. “We all have.”
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Tuberville then spoke about the team’s owner, Josh Harris, and his timid approach to management, largely because of players.
“Of course, you’ve got this owner that’s all scared of the players, and of course, most of the players are minorities, and that’s fine, but they should all be Americans, and I think most of them are,” he said. “This owner is afraid he’s going to hurt somebody’s feelings and create a bad team atmosphere. It’s your team, buddy, and you’re supposed to watch out for everybody. But the president is putting a lot of pressure on him, and I would love to see it.”
NFL fans want it.
Native Americans want it.@POTUS wants it.
Time to bring back the Washington REDSKINS. pic.twitter.com/EgW5NhA5V9
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) July 22, 2025
The changes to Washington’s uniforms were also a point of contention for Tuberville.
“When you see the great colors, gold and maroon, and then you got a W on the side of the helmet. What the hell is that?”
He explained that the name change was indicative of the times and that Trump is working to rectify such issues.
“It’s just we’ve gone through a period of about eight years of wokeness, DEI, and social justice,” Tuberville said. “How about being American? How about just believing in our country and doing what people want, and not your wants and needs?”
Harris, according to Tuberville, needs to remember that fans buy tickets – not overly opinionated players.
“President Trump has really brought our country back to a certain point. But to get people like this owner from the Redskins to make a decision for the people and not for the players, because the team is not the players. It’s for the fans. People need to start remembering that the fans buy the tickets. They don’t buy the tickets.”
“You’re an employee,” Tuberville emphasized. “You’re not somebody that gets to make these decisions.”
The senator believes Native Americans are also in favor of using the Redskins as a team name.
“The Redskins are a name that even the Indian population here wants to be brought back,” he said.
Tuberville’s claim is supported by legal actions from Native American groups in recent years, including the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA). According to Fox News, in 2023, NAGA filed a lawsuit against the NFL franchise and Harris for defamation, civil conspiracy, and civil rights violations for their role in ‘suppressing Native American history’, in a complaint filed in North Dakota.
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
