Dan Quinn explains decision to wear controversial Commanders t-shirt

Rookie Minicamp is underway and with that, Dan Quinn is getting the chance to work with his rookies for the first time. However, a shirt that he recently wore during media availability has become a controversy early in his time with Washington.

The shirt, which is not officially licensed by the Commanders organization, contained part of the organization’s old logo. It said Commanders and had the new ‘W’ logo. However, it also had two feathers coming off the W, the same way they did off the team’s old logo.

In 2020, Washington retired their old logo and name, which were controversial for their depictions of indigenous people. Then, in 2022, the new name of Commanders was announced. That made the shirt that Dan Quinn wore, using part of the old logo, a concern to many and he explained the decision as trying to bridge the past and present.

“I think one of the parts of me taking this job, I was excited bridge the past and the present, and what a cool privilege that is to do,” Dan Quinn said. “I also recognize there’s a lot of layers to that. So, it was a great lesson for me.”

For this meeting with the media, Dan Quinn was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt that only had a small W on the top left of his chest and the NFL shield on the sleeve.

Quinn added that he hopes that his decision to wear the shirt isn’t something that’s going to take away from the rookies who are getting their first look with the organization.

“And what I really hate is any attention that would have been taken away from these rookies and this awesome crew. So, nobody wants to do that but great lesson.”

Dan Quinn also said that he didn’t get any feedback from any former players or people associated with the organization.

The shirt appears to be available online. However, it’s not an officially licensed piece of apparel. On top of that, at this time the Commanders have “no organizational comment” on the matter for the time being.

Last September, new Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris shared his thoughts on the new name and logo.

“Obviously, I grew up in D.C. and I was there during the glory years, so I understand why fans love the former name. But look, there was a portion of our fanbase that felt disrespected by the former name,” Harris said. “Sports are supposed to bring people together and not be a distraction. I don’t want distractions … I thought it was important that we end the conversation.”