Cleveland MLB Owner Paul Dolan, Players Discussed Team Name Change in Meeting

Controlling owner of the Cleveland MLB team, Paul Dolan, led an organization-wide meeting Tuesday to discuss potentially changing the team's nickname. 

Tom Withers of the Associated Press reported the discussion also included president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff, manager Terry Francona and players.

"The way the players expressed themselves in a mature manner and in a respectful manner, and the way Paul listened and spoke back to the players," Francona said. "I was really, really happy and content to just sit there and let them talk back and forth."

The team released a statement July 3 saying it would be "engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders" about a possible name change:

Cleveland abandoned its "Chief Wahoo" logo in 2019.

Francona, who previously said it was "time to move forward" with a new name, explained Tuesday's discussion didn't lead to any final decisions, but he felt the meeting was "genuinely honest," per Withers.

"These things don't happen everywhere," he said. "It's not going to mean that everybody is going to exactly agree or be on the same page. I don't know that you're supposed to be all the time. That's the way our world is. But when everybody listens with respect and talks with respect, I think we have a chance of moving forward with respect. That's what we're trying to do."

The franchise began as the Grand Rapids Rustlers in 1894. It moved to Cleveland in 1900 and used Lake Shores, Bluebirds, Bronchos and Naps as nicknames before switching to the Indians in 1915.

Cleveland has also utilized a secondary nickname of the Tribe.

The team is scheduled to open the shortened 60-game MLB regular season Friday against the Kansas City Royals.