WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM TO RECOGNIZE FOOTBALL LEGEND, FORMER PLAYER, AND EXECUTIVE BOBBY MITCHELL

Washington- When the Washington Football Team plays the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football in their Week 2 matchup, the team will honor former player and executive Bobby Mitchell’s legacy of equality and diversity by hosting Latinx Heritage Night and its first-ever Pride Night Out.

The team will welcome Bobby’s family on the field prior to the game for the retirement of his number and official renaming of the Main Concourse of FedExField in his honor. Additionally, players will wear helmet stickers that pay homage to Mitchell during the game.

Mitchell was the team’s first African American player when he was traded to Washington in late 1961. Mitchell went on to have an illustrious career, making three Pro-Bowl appearances in seven seasons before spending more than three decades in the team’s front office serving as the Assistant General Manager during all three of the team’s Super Bowl runs. He was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

“Bobby was a pioneer and trailblazer for equality and civil rights for our organization and football throughout his remarkable career,” said Jason Wright, Washington Football Team President. “We look forward to celebrating Bobby and his significant contributions to our Club and sport during our Sept. 16 game and, with Bobby as our example, we will continue to push for equality within our organization, community and sports overall.”

Washington will celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with a special Latinx Heritage Night. The night will showcase many of the diverse elements of Latinx culture with the goal of celebrating, educating, and driving more awareness to the many contributions of this important community.

Special guests and honorees will be recognized throughout the night, including members of the Hispanic Caucus Institute and the Latin American Youth Center, a Latinx youth organization. The team will share a preview of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s award ceremony honoring Head Coach Ron Rivera during the game, which will air later in October on PBS.

Aligned with the team’s focus on inclusion, the franchise will also host its first ever “Pride Night Out” event, which will include multiple activations such as a pregame performance by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. and a special rally towel give-away featuring the team’s Pride logo guaranteed for fans who purchase a Pride Night Out ticket through WashingtonFootball.com/Pride. Five dollars from each ticket purchased will be donated to Team DC, a charitable organization established to educate the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community on the benefits of individual and team sports participation.