WASHINGTON — The Washington Football cheerleading program has been put on pause effective immediately and will be re-branded.
Sources tell WUSA9's Darren Haynes this is part of a larger rebranding effort to make changes in the fan experience for the franchise.
These changes mean Washington Cheerleading Director Jamilla Keene has been removed from her position. Washington's cheerleaders were told Monday about the move by the team, said sources.
This information of the cheerleading program comes four days after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that attorney Beth Wilkinson is “nearing the completion” of her investigation into the Washington Football Team over allegations of sexual harassment and mistreatment of female employees.
Keene's removal is not a direct move due to the NFL's investigation, according to team sources.
Officials with the team say they are re-envisioning the program and are going to take the team to another form. The team is bringing in a consultant who has worked with rebranding.
Code and Theory will work with the Washington Football Team as part of the team's change in the redesign of the off the field experience for fans, according to a statement in the press release on brading and off-field experiences for fans.
Code and Theory had previously partnered with the team in the development of the Washington Football Team interim branding for the 2020-2021 season.
"The time is right to reimagine our entire gameday experience to reinvent it in a way that reflects our modern identity and aligns with what today's fan seeks. Coach Rivera has done an incredible job on the field. We will elevate our off-the-field product to match." said Jason Wright, President of the Washington Football Team, in the statement.
The National Football League took over the internal investigation into sexual harassment allegations within the Washington Football Team's operations back in September 2020.
The allegations were first broken by the Washington Post earlier this summer and came on the heels of the team abandoning its controversial logo and nickname, which had been used since 1933.
Fifteen women say they were sexually harassed and verbally abused while they worked for Washington's NFL team over the last 15 years, according to the Post's reporting.
Three of the employees with allegations made against them abruptly resigned or were fired, including longtime radio broadcaster Larry Michael, who retired, and the team’s director of pro personnel, Alex Santos, who was fired.
(A previous version of this story said Carnival Cruise is working with the Washington Football Team. Code and Theory is the company working with the team.)