Fan Favorite To Replace Redskins Name Has Trademark Claim

WASHINGTON, DC — A guessing game on the new name for the NFL franchise in Washington started Monday when team majority owner Dan Snyder announced he was retiring Redskins as the team's name. The team did not announce a new name on the day it revealed Redskins was getting cast aside. Many people attribute the delay in unveiling a new name to the fact that many of the choices already have trademark claims.

Trademark claims have been filed for Redtails and Warriors, two of the names gaining in popularity among Washington fans, according to Yahoo! Sports. Several of the trademark claims for potential replacement names have been filed by one person.

That person, Philip Martin McCaulay, lives in Alexandria and already has pages for the Warriors, Monuments, Arrows, Veterans, Pandas, Founders, Federals and Red-Tailed Hawks, Yahoo! Sports reported.

On July 3, Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. tweeted that he liked Redtails as a potential replacement for Redskins. McCaulay filed a trademark application for the Washington RedTails on July 5, two days after Haskins' tweet, according to the report.

"Snyder spent so much time refusing to change the team’s name that he never made arrangements to protect the team itself for when the time actually came to change the name," Yahoo! Sports reported.

The Redtails would honor Red Tail military pilots, considered the elite of the Tuskegee Airmen who overcame racism and fought in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen flew 1,578 combat missions during World War II. The Black pilots received their nickname because the tails of their aircraft were painted crimson.

On July 3, the Washington NFL team announced it was conducting a "thorough review" of the team's name. The review resulted in Monday's news that the Redskins name was getting retired, along with its logo.

Snyder and Washington head coach Ron Rivera are "working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition-rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years," the statement read.

The decision to change the name came after Snyder famously said in 2013 that he would never change the team name, when asked about protests and lawsuits against the name.

McCaulay said he has not been contacted by the team and is not trying to sell a new name to Snyder. He told the Daily Mail that he was hoping to accommodate the change away from Redskins and said the team could have the name for free.

"Hi everyone I need to clear something up," McCaulay tweeted Tuesday. "I want them to change the name and am embarrassed if I did anything that slows that down. I thought if I hoarded all the good names that would keep someone else who might be a pain in the neck from getting them."

"I wish they would tell me what I need to do to get out of their way to change the name if I am some obstacle," he wrote in a separate tweet.

Redwolves has emerged as another fan favorite to replace Redskins. But McCaulay explained in a tweet that Arkansas State University already has the trademark for Red Wolves and they would sue anybody who tries to use it or Redwolves, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office considers the same name.

Related: Navajo Leader Retracts 'Code Talkers' As Replacement For Redskins