T
he Washington Football Team selected their new name and revealed plans to announce it on Feb. 2. They hoped to keep the announcement on lockdown for an entire month, but Boomer Esiason couldn’t wait 24 hours.
“The Admirals,” Esiason told Jerry Recco and Gregg Giannotti on their WFAN morning radio show Boomer and Gio. “I’m reporting it’s the Admirals.”
Esiason later added that he’s not breaking the story, but the damage was already done on a 50,000-watt New York radio station with a show that gets nationally televised by CBS Sports Network.
“Do you feel like you shouldn’t have done that?” Gio asked. “I can tell he’s regretting it.”
“Why? I can’t stand that organization anyway!” Esiason fired back. “Who cares, the organization sucks!”
Although they miraculously won the NFC East last season, there haven’t been many bright days for the Washington Football Team in recent years.
Video: Did WFT ruin its future name reveal? (NBC Sports)
After nearly a full century with a team name that was demeaning to Native Americans, Washington’s football franchise ditched the moniker and opted to use Washington Football Team for the last two NFL seasons. A franchise marred by toxic workplace allegations and a crumbling stadium, Feb. 2 is supposed to represent a fresh start.
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Esiason couldn’t wait until next month and apparently, he wasn’t alone. For a brief moment on Tuesday, the URL WashingtonAdmirals.com redirected you to the current Washington Football Team website. Perhaps it’s all a giant ploy to throw people off. Who would have guessed WFT’s name reveal could turn into such a giant game of chess.
It was the second major NFL story of the day broken by Esiason, who earlier in his radio show claimed the Chicago Bears already informed head coach Matt Nagy he will be fired.
A former league MVP and longtime co-host of The NFL Today on CBS, Esiason is sure to have strong sources. With the name needing league approval, there are a lot of people who already know what WFT’s new moniker is going to be. Hoping to keep it hidden for a full month may have been an unrealistic expectation.