CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former Guardians manager Terry Francona is pushing back against President Trump’s call for his former club to revert to its old “Indians” nickname.
Trump shared a series of social media posts on Sunday that included his desire to see Cleveland’s baseball club and the Washington football franchise, formerly known as the “Redskins,” return to their previous team names which many considered offensive to Native Americans.
Francona, now the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, voiced strong support for the changes while speaking before a game against the Washington Nationals. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinion, Francona acknowledged such moves will always face criticism.
“Not everybody’s gonna be happy. That’s never gonna be the case,” he said to USA Today. “But I think as long as what you’re trying to do is respectful, you can go ahead and let people complain.”
Francona also praised Cleveland owner Paul Dolan for making the difficult decision to change the team’s name before the 2022 season.
“I wasn’t the one that had to kind of have the fortitude to do it,” Francona said. “Paul Dolan ultimately was the one that had to pull the trigger.”
Francona, who managed Cleveland from 2013-23 and led them to a World Series appearance in 2016, was present during discussions about the name change. He emphasized that the decision was made with respect in mind, despite knowing it would face resistance from some fans.
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“I was really proud of him, because I don’t think it was real popular with a segment of probably the older fans that kind of, I guess, like Trump, ‘Why can’t it be like it used to be?’” Francona said.
The former Cleveland manager offered a pointed response to those who resist such changes: “There’s probably a lot of people in this country who don’t want it like it used to be. And if you’re white, you’re probably just fine. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.”
Cleveland’s front office appears unmoved by the controversy. Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters Sunday that revisiting the name change wasn’t something he was “paying a lot of attention to.”
“We’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future,” Antonetti said.
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