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FedEx has the naming rights to the team's
Landover, Maryland, stadium, known as FedExField, under a
27-year deal for which it paid $205 million in 1999, according
to media reports at the time.
"We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that
they change the team name," the company said on Thursday.
FedEx declined to elaborate on why it made the request.
Critics have ramped up pressure on the team to change its name,
which is widely seen as a racial slur against Native Americans,
after the death of George Floyd in police custody set off
widespread protests for racial justice across the United States.
The Kansas City Chiefs, which claimed the Vince Lombardi Trophy
in February, faced similar criticism from Native American
advocates in the run-up to their Super Bowl win.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder has previously said that he would not
change the franchise's name, the topic of fierce debate for
years. The team did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
(Reporting By Amy Tennery; editing by Richard Pullin)
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