Cleveland Indians players meet with team leadership to discuss potential name change

Several Cleveland Indians players met with the team’s ownership on Tuesday to discuss changing the name of the team, following the decision by Washington’s NFL team to change its name.

In addition to the players and team owner Paul Dolan, manager Terry Francona, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff were also all involved in the dialogue, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.

“I was really, really happy and content to just sit there and let them talk back and forth,” Francona said. “It’s one of the reasons that I speak so glowingly of our organization. Today was another reason why.”

He added: “Sometimes perspectives can be different and it’s good for everybody to hear that. … Everybody was so genuinely honest, but also respectful in the way they gave their opinions. I was really proud of everybody.”

Washington’s football team announced last week that it would be retiring its controversial “Redskins” logo and nickname. The name has long been seen as a racial slur against Native Americans.

At the end of the team’s 2018 season, Cleveland got rid of its longtime mascot Chief Wahoo, which depicted a caricature of a smiling Native American.

President Trump earlier this month criticized the teams for their respective potential name changes, saying the football and baseball teams were only doing it to be “politically correct.”