NFL: Washington Redskins to retire controversial team name

The NFL's Washington team said on Monday they will retire their Redskins name and logo in a decision made after sponsors stepped up pressure to scrap a name long criticized as racist by Native American rights groups.

Team owner Dan Snyder had previously said he would not change the name under any circumstances but softened his stance after FedEx Corp, which owns the naming rights to the team's Landover, Maryland, stadium, urged the NFL club to rebrand.

The team said on July 3 the club would conduct a thorough review of the club's name.

"Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review," said the NFL team in a statement.

The team did not provide a time line for when the review would be completed.