Indians to remove Chief Wahoo logo from uniforms in 2019

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Tom Schad, USA TODAY




The Cleveland Indians will stop using their controversial Chief Wahoo logo on uniforms in 2019, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Monday.

Manfred has been pressuring Indians chief executive and chairman Paul Dolan to make the change for the past year.

"Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game," said Manfred in a statement. "Over the past year, we encouraged dialogue with the Indians organization about the club’s use of the Chief Wahoo logo.

"During our constructive conversations, Paul Dolan made clear that there are fans who have a longstanding attachment to the logo and its place in the history of the team. Nonetheless, the club ultimately agreed with my position that the logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball, and I appreciate Mr. Dolan’s acknowledgement that removing it from the on-field uniform by the start of the 2019 season is the right course.”

“We have consistently maintained that we are cognizant and sensitive to both sides of the discussion,” Dolan said in a statement. “While we recognize many of our fans have a long-standing attachment to Chief Wahoo, I’m ultimately in agreement with Commissioner Manfred’s desire to remove the logo from our uniforms in 2019.”

Chief Wahoo is a caricature of a Native American. The organization has used iteration of it or another since the late 1940s.

The Indians are one of several professional sports franchises that have drawn scrutiny for using what critics believe are an offensive logo or team name in recent years. The NFL's Washington Redskins have also been denounced and faced longstanding pressure to change their team name, which critics cite as offensive to Native Americans.