Martin McCaulay Talks Filing Trademarks for Possible Washington NFL Team Names

You may have heard of the man who filed a trademark on seemingly every possible new iteration of the Washington NFL team name. You may have lauded him as an epic troll, or you may have derided him as someone halting the progress of change.

It turns out Martin McCaulay is neither. He's just a guy who wanted to make things easier on Washington should the franchise ever change its name.

"Hi everyone I need to clear something up. I want them to change the name and am embarrassed if I did anything that slows that down," McCaulay tweeted Tuesday. "I thought if I hoarded all the good names that would keep someone else who might be a pain in the neck from getting them."

By his own admission, none of the trademarks McCaulay currently possesses would hold up in court. He says he first offered to relinquish any team name Washington is considering for free on July 4 but has not heard back from the franchise or NFL.

"Speculate on prior motives all you want if you don't believe I just wanted them to change the name, now i just want this albatross around my neck gone," McCaulay tweeted.

Washington has reportedly run into trademark issues as it looks to change the franchise's name, which is a dictionary-defined racial slur, amid pressure from fans and sponsors. Citing his trademark experience, McCaulay says the team's best options are Redtails, Renegades, Redhawks and Americans because he could relinquish any trademarks.

The Redwolves, popular among fans, could be held up in litigation with Arkansas State University, which has a trademark for their name.

McCaulay applied for the trademark for Washington Warriors, another possibility, in 2015, but the application was suspended.

Washington's new team name is not expected to have any Native American imagery.