Prior to the Washington Redskins considering a name change, minority owner and FedEx CEO Fred Smith led efforts in trying to get Dan Snyder to sell his majority stake in the franchise, according to Washington Times columnist Thom Loverro.
Smith, alongside the Redskins’ two other minority owners, unsuccessfully tried to get Snyder to sell his stake to them.
Now, the minority ownership group is trying to sell their 40% of the team. The Washington Post cited the group is “not happy being a partner” with Snyder.
Smith lobbied “for years” to get Snyder to change the team’s name, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Last week, Smith’s FedEx became the first sponsor to formally request Snyder to change the team’s name.
Nike and other companies have since followed, prompting Snyder to announce the Redskins were undergoing a “thorough review” of the team’s name. Shortly afterwards, reports surfaced Smith, Robert Rothman and Dwight Schar were looking to get of ownership of the Redskins.
