The Washington Commanders and the Native American family that helped create the franchise’s former logo have in recent months taken steps to rebuild a relationship that was severely damaged during the team’s previous ownership.
By Sam Fortier
And at Northwest Stadium on Sunday, the Commanders held a private ceremony for 22 of Wetzel’s descendants to unveil a memorial honoring him that featured a large gold plaque crediting him with designing the logo and telling the story of his life as “a fervent advocate for Indigenous communities.”
The trips have helped regain the family’s trust, Ryan Wetzel, Blackie’s grandson, said in an interview with The Washington Post. But even though he said things are “going in the right direction,” the family is not fully satisfied with how the team has honored his grandfather.
What would satisfy the family?
“I don’t want to get too complex,” he said, declining to elaborate.
Therefore, as the clock ticks on this congressional session, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) will continue blocking legislation that would give the District greater control over the RFK Stadium site.
The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act cleared the House in February with overwhelming bipartisan support, but it needs to pass the Senate for D.C. to be able to develop the federally owned plot, which could include a new stadium for the Commanders. The bill could come up in a Senate committee hearing as early as next week, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
If the RFK bill doesn’t pass this year, Commanders fans’ dreams of returning to the city could die; last month, principal owner Josh Harris did not commit to another legislative effort to put D.C. in play if this one fails.
The bill has been stalled since May, when Daines vowed to block it until “the [Commanders] and the NFL sit down with the Wetzel family” to “properly honor the history of the logo and heritage of our tribal nations.”
In a statement Monday, Daines called the tribute “a step in the right direction” but didn’t say it satisfied his demands.
“This is about righting a wrong,” the statement read. “The legendary Blackfeet logo that was championed by Blackie Wetzel and based on the likeness of Chief Two Guns White Calf must be restored to a place of honor. … The logo is a point of pride and represents the rich Native American history that helped make our nation great, and it should be enthusiastically celebrated across our culture.”
For years, even the Wetzel family disagreed on whether the team’s name was offensive. And by 2014, at least one member believed the team should get rid of the name and the logo.
In 2021, Blackie Wetzel’s son Don traveled from Montana to D.C. to ask the team to return the logo to the family. The team declined; Don left discouraged.
In March 2023, as Don lay on his deathbed, he told his son Ryan to carry on the logo mission.
“I was then ultimately chosen as the one to be the voice for our family, to carry this thing through, and — I’m sorry,” Ryan said Sunday, growing emotional.
This spring, the team and the family started rebuilding their relationship, which was damaged, Ryan said, by former owner Daniel Snyder using the family as “props” and “smokescreens.” Ryan hoped the team might, among other things, honor his grandfather by unretiring the logo, which he saw as a proud representation of Native people on the national stage.
“It shouldn’t be something that’s shameful,” Ryan said. “It should be honored.”
But the Commanders and the NFL told Ryan that wasn’t possible.
“We had the hard conversations about the business constraints and the way that the rest of the world sees things,” Commanders senior adviser Jason Wright said. “We’re going to thread the needle to do exactly what we can for the family.”
Wright, who moved out of his role as team president this summer, joined Commanders vice president of public affairs Kirtan Mehta and Brendon Plack, the NFL’s senior vice president of public policy and governmental affairs, in a visit to Ryan’s home in Montana.
“That, from my family’s perspective, was one of the greatest honors that we’ve ever had,” Ryan said. He described a steak dinner and long conversations with many family members. Afterward, Ryan said, a typically reserved elder named Petse was so inspired that he talked for two hours because he felt “heard, respected and appreciated.”
“He said, ‘I love them for what they’ve done for us so far,’” Ryan remembered.
Days later, the Commanders rolled out the red carpet in Washington. The team flew in Wetzel family members from Montana, Denver and Indianapolis to unveil the tribute, and Sunday morning they streamed into the club level and saw the plaque, a gold helmet, old photos of franchise legends wearing the logo and pictures of Blackie’s many meetings with VIPs.
“No way!” one man yelled, beaming.
“That’s your grandfather,” a man told a young girl.
“Thank you,” a woman said over and over.
After everyone took photos, Barbara Wetzel lit a handful of sweetgrass for a traditional “smudging” ceremony. It smelled like vanilla, and Ryan Wetzel said it brought “good spirits” and “protection” to the memorial.
The family walked down to the field, smiling and snapping pictures. It had taken a lot of convincing to get some of them, who had had negative experiences with the franchise before, to come on the trip, Ryan said.
“They trust them,” he added, pointing to Wright and Mehta.
The family wants to do more to honor Blackie; Ryan was vague but emphasized they want to “build something” with the team. They’ve discussed creating a foundation in Blackie’s name that would address the needs of Indigenous communities, a person with knowledge of the discussions said, but the logistics remain unclear.
Shortly after kickoff, as the Wetzels watched the game from a suite, Fox News published a story that detailed a recent meeting between Daines and a different Native family with a link to Washington’s NFL franchise.
The descendants of John Two Guns White Calf — whose portrait inspired the old logo — called for the franchise to restore the logo.
“We want a seat at the table,” a great-nephew said.
The story seemed like a harbinger of conflict in Congress between Daines and the supporters of the RFK bill.
But Sunday at the stadium, taken on its own, seemed like a significant milestone in the relationship between the franchise and the family. They released a joint statement that said they “look forward to the future and continuing our work together.”
“Just understand it’s good medicine,” Ryan Wetzel said. “Used to be bad medicine; [now] it’s good medicine. So many spirits are following me that never were heard [by this organization].” He pointed to Wright and Mehta. “So I thank these guys for listening.”
correction
A previous version of this story said Commanders staff visited the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. They went to Ryan Wetzel's home elsewhere in the state.
