Descendants of the Blackfeet chief whose profile once graced Washington's NFL helmets say they want the team's old name back — and they want it tied to a stadium bearing their grandfather's name. The family of Chief Two Guns White Calf, born on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, says it was never consulted when the franchise dropped the Redskins name and logo, and now they're organizing to reverse that decision.
The push is detailed in a report from WCPO 9 Cincinnati, which spoke with estate representative Morningstar Gopher and estate lead Kenneth Conway about the family's campaign. The old logo, which debuted on Washington helmets for the 1972 season, was inspired by former Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Walter “Blackie” Wetzel. Wetzel shared photographs of Blackfeet leaders with the team's top executives and persuaded them to use the images as inspiration, a history confirmed by Snopes.
A Family That Says It Was Left Out
Kenneth Conway said the descendants felt as though they had been erased, according to the WCPO report. Native American activist groups had fought for years to remove the Redskins name, which was deemed a slur in 2020, but the family says its own views were never weighed as that movement gained momentum. Historian Brock Conway said the family was never asked for approval before the name and logo were changed.
Morningstar Gopher described Chief Two Guns White Calf as a leader who, in her words, had a hold on the NFL for 50 years, per the same WCPO account. The family says the former logo brings them pride and that they simply want their grandfather remembered. Brock Conway said the family continues to honor him by keeping his picture displayed on their walls.
Who Was Chief Two Guns White Calf
Chief John Two Guns White Calf lived from 1872 to 1934 and was a celebrated Blackfeet leader who promoted Glacier National Park and met President Calvin Coolidge at the White House in 1927, according to the Native Heritage Project. He was also widely believed to be one of the models for the U.S. Buffalo nickel. That national profile is part of what the family points to in arguing the chief deserves greater recognition than a retired helmet logo.
Morningstar Gopher has rallied other direct descendants to pursue the changes the family wants, the WCPO report states, and said the group hopes for a meeting with President Trump to advance the effort. The estate and attorney Denise Rosado hope to restore not just the former team name and the chief's logo, but to rename the team's stadium after their grandfather as well. Gopher said such a restoration could help Native people secure the first NFL stadium named after a Native American, and added that there remain many devoted Redskins fans in Washington, D.C. Rosado said restoring the name and logo would honor the family and their ancestors while benefiting everyone involved. The chief's family says it hopes to meet with the team soon to discuss restoring the former mascot.
Tribal Leadership Has Weighed In Before
The family's campaign follows other organized efforts tied to the logo specifically, separate from the retired team name. Nine members of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council submitted a formal letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and team owner Josh Harris in September 2024 expressing what they called wholehearted support for the logo depicting the chief, and asked that it be restored to a place of honor, according to Front Office Sports. Separately, descendants of the chief sued the Commanders and the NFL, alleging economic losses and a loss of tribal stature, as reported by NBC Montana.
Not everyone in the Wetzel family has shared that view. Public debate over the former logo previously split members of the Wetzel family itself: Donald Wetzel Sr. told The Washington Post in 2014 that he had never heard tribal members say anything negative about the logo or name. Bill Wetzel supported the change in 2020. The team has also installed a permanent memorial plaque and bronze helmet honoring Wetzel on the club level of Northwest Stadium, a gesture made in September 2024.
Ownership Has Already Drawn a Line
Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris said during a February 2025 news conference that the Commanders name is permanent and will not revert to the team's former name, according to the Associated Press. That stance has not stopped the team from continuing to engage with the logo's legacy in other ways. The Commanders began selling Mitchell & Ness throwback apparel featuring the retired name and logo at Northwest Stadium in August, which team representatives said was necessary to legally maintain and protect the franchise's active trademarks, per WUSA9.
Political pressure has also shaped how the team handles the imagery. U.S. Senator Steve Daines of Montana dropped his legislative block on the RFK Stadium revitalization bill in November 2024 after the Commanders committed to stop blurring or censoring the historic Blackfeet chief logo in archival footage and team displays, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. A separate North Dakota lawsuit by the Native American Guardians Association, along with the group's 150,000-signature petition, illustrates that advocacy around the issue extends well beyond the chief's immediate family.
