I never understood the Federal Express connection to this controversy.
Yes I know they are paying for the naming rights for FedEx Field. And they signed up for the rights and paid for those rights in conjunction with the team having the name of Redskins at that time. How are they in any position to demand that the name be changed otherwise what? Otherwise they won’t pay this year’s annual installment payment for the naming rights?
If that happened, then there would be a messy lawsuit involving Federal Express, and possibly the Redskins or whoever owns that Stadium would simply sell the naming rights to some other company instead. ,
Because FedEx is paying its $205 million naming rights deal over time, roughly $45 million is due after the 2020 season, if payments are spread out evenly over the 27-year contract. By citing the risk to the FedEx brand, the letter appears to lay the foundation for terminating the agreement “for cause.” That interpretation, confirmed by a person with knowledge of the letter, means that FedEx wouldn’t pay the balance due after 2020 if the name isn’t changed. [...]
Within hours of FedEx’s actions, Nike removed all Redskins merchandise from its online store. The next morning, the Redskins announced the team was launching “a thorough review” of the name — a step that people familiar with the closed-door talks that preceded it said was expected to lead to a change in the team’s name and logo.
Soon after, PepsiCo., Bank of America and Nike followed with statements supporting the step and a change in team name, as did NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. All three companies are major corporate sponsors of the Redskins.