The team said Friday it has been talking to the NFL for weeks about the subject. In a statement, the team said recent events around the U.S. and feedback from the community prompted the formal review.

“This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field,” owner Dan Snyder said.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “In the last few weeks, we have had ongoing discussions with Dan, and we are supportive of this important step.”

The recent national debate over racism

for the franchise to change the name, and

. Investors this week wrote to FedEx, PepsiCo and other sponsors asking them to request a change.

FedEx, the title sponsor of the Redskins’ stadium in Landover, Maryland, said Thursday, “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.” On Thursday night, Nike appeared to remove all Redskins gear from its online store. Nike did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.

Coach Ron Rivera, who said in a recent radio interview now is not the time to discuss the name, called it “an issue of personal importance.” Rivera said he’d work closely with Snyder during the process.

Washington mayor Muriel Bowser said recently the name was an “obstacle” to the team building a stadium in the District. The current lease at FedEx Field expires in 2027, and the old RFK Stadium site in Washington is one of several options for the team’s new headquaters, along with locations in Maryland and Virginia.

Experts and advocates have called the name a “dictionary-defined racial slur.” Until this point, Snyder has shown no willingness to consider a change.

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More than 500 players will lace up customized cleats reflecting their charitable causes during Week 13 as part of the league’s “My Cleats, My Cause” campaign. Afterward, the stylish shoes will be auctioned to raise money for those charities.

”One of the great NFL traditions is how our players passionately support important causes in their communities and around the globe every year,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. ”They are incredibly creative by nature so we are not surprised how they are seizing the opportunity this week with expressions of their charitable commitments on their cleats, online and through social media.”

This marks the first time players can wear custom cleats during the game without facing fines.

”I’m excited,” said the always fashionable Von Miller, who will wear black-and-white cleats flecked with letters from an optometrist’s eye chart to highlight Von’s Vision, which provides eyeglasses to underprivileged youth.

”Especially in a cookie-cutter league, you’ve got to wear your uniform a certain way, your socks a certain way, your helmet, gloves, everything a certain way,” said Miller, a star linebacker for the Denver Broncos. ”To have an opportunity to express yourself through your cleats is pretty dope.”

Miller, who sports a tattoo on his left arm honoring his longtime sponsor, Adidas, wears custom cleats every week that are designed by Los Angeles artist Kickasso . But he only wears them during warmups because NFL rules prohibit players from wearing shoes during games that are not black or white with a team color.

Miller debuted the Kanye West-designed Adidas Yeezy cleats while stretching on the field before the season opener, and then switched to a different pair of shoes 90 minutes before kickoff, as required. Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins wore his pair of Yeezy’s in the popular turtle dove color during a game and said he was fined $6,000 by the NFL. He said he’d only wear them again ”if Kanye wants to pay the fine.”

Hopkins won’t have to worry about that this weekend when he’ll wear custom cleats to raise awareness for domestic violence.

Players are increasingly wearing custom-designed cleats before games to make a statement, fashion or otherwise.

Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has worn ”Back to the Future” cleats advertising hover boards among his many other creative designs. Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson wore cleats in a game with a yellow ”caution” tape design in violation of league rules.

The king of the specialized shoes is Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, whose custom cleats have featured images of his kids, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer and Jose Fernandez. Some have run afoul of the league’s rules, like the ones with his children, which he was told to take off at halftime.

Brown’s cleats this weekend highlight Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and teammate Ben Roethlisberger is joining in on the footwear fun to raise awareness for police and fire departments with K-9 units and service dogs.

Many players worked with Nike, Under Armour and Adidas to design the cleats they’ll wear in games this weekend. Others used their own designers. The Giants and Texans worked with an independent customizer to design cleats for their players.

Greg Olsen’s cleats will raise awareness for congenital heart defects by telling the story of his son, T.J., who survived a heart defect as a baby. Eric Berry’s tell the story of his battle with cancer and are designed to help raise awareness for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. David Johnson’s cleats promote an anti-bullying initiative.

”I think it’s a great thing,” Roethlisberger said. ”I think it’s an awesome opportunity for guys in the NFL to showcase a foundation, a cause, whatever it is. There are so many great causes out there people don’t know much about. Obviously the league puts its stamp on one or two things but there’s so many things out there guys want to be known and want to be made aware of a cause or opportunity or whatever and this is an awesome opportunity to do it.

”I hope the league will continue to do it.”

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AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed to this report.

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For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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After making his case in a 10-hour hearing, Brady’s fate is in the hands of Roger Goodell. Just when the NFL commissioner will announce his decision to uphold, reduce or eliminate Brady’s four-game suspension in ”Deflategate” is uncertain.

”I think that’s going to be sooner rather than later,” Marc Ganis, who is the president of SportsCorp consulting firm and has a close relationship with many league owners, said Wednesday. ”One of the criticisms of this whole matter has been the way it’s dragged on.”

The NFL announced in late January that attorney Ted Wells would head an investigation into the New England Patriots use of underinflated balls in their 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game on Jan. 18.

More than three months later, the 243-page Wells report was issued, saying it was ”more probable than not” that Brady was ”at least generally aware” that footballs he used were improperly deflated by team personnel.

Five days after that, on May 11, the NFL suspended Brady four games, fined the Patriots $1 million and docked them two draft picks. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has accepted the team penalties.

But Brady appealed and, more than six weeks later, had his hearing before Goodell in New York on Tuesday.

”I don’t know what the timetable is,” said Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who represented Brady at the hearing. ”I think we put in a very compelling case.”

Once Goodell reaches a decision, the league must craft the wording precisely so it would withstand legal scrutiny if Brady decides to challenge it in court.

Goodell must decide ”as soon as practicable,” according to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.

It’s been nearly a month without a ruling since the hearing for Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy before arbitrator Harold Henderson. Hardy was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2015 season in a domestic violence case.

Here are some questions that remain more than five months after Brady used underinflated balls:

WILL GOODELL KEEP ALL OR PART OF THE SUSPENSION?

Probably.

While Brady likely shared information with Goodell that he didn’t provide to the Wells team, the commissioner needs to regain credibility, especially in light of his fumbling the Ray Rice investigation. If Brady presented a convincing case at the hearing that he had no role in or knowledge of the deflation, Goodell could absolve him of that. Brady then could accept that decision indicating he didn’t cheat or gain a competitive edge, even if it comes with a two-game suspension for not cooperating fully with Wells.

WILL THE SUSPENSION BE RESCINDED?

Unlikely.

This extreme step poses a risk to Goodell from other NFL owners, especially with his close relationship with Kraft, at least before Deflategate. Goodell was tough on the Patriots in the Spygate scandal, fining coach Bill Belichick the NFL maximum of $500,000 and the team $250,000 for spying on New York Jets defensive signals in a game in 2007.

WILL BRADY SUE?

Depends.

There are competing factors in any decision to sue to get the suspension eliminated. Brady hasn’t been a vocal union supporter and prefers to minimize distractions. But with Kessler representing him and Brady’s desire to clear his name, a lawsuit could be forthcoming. ”Jeff loves having a cause of action against the NFL,” Ganis said.

Kessler helped get suspensions reduced for New Orleans players in the Bountygate scandal. In February, he represented Adrian Peterson before a federal judge who overturned an NFL suspension that had been upheld by Henderson.

WILL BRADY PLAY THE SEASON OPENER?

Possibly.

Whatever Goodell decides, Brady can participate in training camp starting in late July and in preseason games. The season opener is set for Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a marquee Thursday night matchup between the Super Bowl champions and a team led by another star quarterback. Ben Roethslisberger vs. Tom Brady? Wow! Roethslisberger vs. Jimmy Garoppolo? Woe.

A court injunction could allow Brady to play in that game and others. But that poses the danger that the court would affirm a suspension later in the season, when the drive for playoff spots is peaking.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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Goodell will not withdraw from what the commissioner considers his responsibility of hearing the appeal, according to several people with knowledge of the decision. Those people spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.

The union asked Goodell to remove himself from that role because it said he lacked impartiality and that Goodell would be called as a witness. NFL lawyers, however, have recommended to Goodell that he should not recuse himself.

No date has been set for the appeal, although the collective bargaining agreement calls for it to be heard within 10 days. However, both sides can agree on delaying a hearing, which would need to be held by Wednesday without any requested delays.

Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season after a league-sanctioned report by attorney Ted Wells found the New England quarterback ”at least generally aware” of a scheme to illegally deflate footballs used in the AFC title game win over Indianapolis. On Wednesday at the spring owners meetings, Goodell said he was aware of the union’s request but had not yet had time to examine it.

Since then, league lawyers were able to look it over and make their recommendation he remain on the case.

But it seemed clear Wednesday that he planned to oversee the appeal hearing.

”It’s my job here to make sure we’re doing everything to protect the integrity of the game, protect our policies, protect our procedures,” Goodell said then. ”We have a process that has been negotiated with the union that has been in place for decades. It’s my responsibility and it’s something that we’ve had in place for a long time.”

Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, handed down the suspension to three-time Super Bowl MVP Brady, one of the sport’s biggest stars. Vincent also fined the Patriots $1 million and stripped them of a first-round draft pick next year and a fourth-rounder in 2017.

On Tuesday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, among the NFL’s most powerful and influential men, said he will not appeal those penalties.

But Brady has hired attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who has taken on the league in a variety of other cases through the years, and could take his case to court should his punishment not be reduced after appeal.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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“The decision that Robert made was his decision. I admire and respect Robert. We’ve had plenty of discussions over the last couple of weeks, and this was his initiative and something he wanted to do,” Goodell said Wednesday at the conclusion of the league’s spring meeting. “I certainly admire the step he took. We may disagree on things but that’s not unusual. It happens.”

Goodell sidestepped a question on whether he would remove himself as arbitrator of Brady’s appeal, as the NFL Players Association has formally requested, but at the same time said he looked forward to hearing from Brady directly. Goodell said he was unaware of a date being scheduled for the appeal.
Roger Goodell on Robert Kraft’s decision not to appeal the Pats’ punishments in the deflated footballs scandal: “We’ve had plenty of discussions over the last couple of weeks, and this was his initiative and something he wanted to do.” Andrew Burton/Getty Images

“Obviously when we get back [to the league office] tomorrow, we will focus on that and give it full due consideration and make sure that we do the appropriate thing,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t get into hypothetical situations on Brady’s appeal, referring to a “long established” process in which the commissioner has the authority to hear appeals as part of his responsibility for protecting the integrity of the game.

“I look forward to hearing directly from Tom if there is new information or there is information that can be helpful to us in getting this right. I want to hear directly from Tom on that,” he said.

“Any time anyone is suspended from a game they love it’s difficult. So any player/coach that we’re involved with suspending, that decision comes after a great deal of thought and consideration and recognizing that’s a difficult decision. We’re very careful with it and we’re very thoughtful with it. I have great admiration and respect for Tom Brady, but the rules have to be enforced on a uniform basis and they apply to everybody in the league — every club, every individual coach, every individual player. We put the game ahead of everyone.”

Asked what he would have to hear from Brady to possibly reduce the suspension, Goodell said, “The key for us is to allow any information that Tom Brady and his representatives have … is there any new information that he can bring more clarity to or something that wasn’t considered in the Wells report? That’s the reason for the process and why we continue to have an open mind and we’re going to do everything possible to understand all the facts.”

League officials at the meeting did not discuss protocol of how footballs are handled before games, according to Goodell, as that discussion will take place after the league office explores potential changes based on the findings of the Wells report.

“I do anticipate changes will take place before the 2015 season,” he said.

Asked if the NFL had requested that the Patriots suspend officials locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski, which the club did May 6 when the Wells report was released, Goodell said that wasn’t the case.

As for the NFL’s handling of the investigation into the Patriots’ footballs, which has been a point of contention for the Patriots, Goodell said he asked attorney Ted Wells to determine what the NFL could have done differently and felt Wells “made his views very clear in the report.” Wells disagreed with the Patriots’ viewpoint that the NFL’s investigation was more of a sting operation.

Specific to not correcting an incorrect media leak that 11 of the Patriots’ 12 footballs were at least 2 psi under the allowed lower limit, which upset the Patriots because it created a perception they were already guilty before the investigation was complete, Goodell said, “We’d given all that to Ted and Ted had the opportunity to evaluate that.”

Wells didn’t address the media leaks specifically in his report.

Goodell also said Mexico and Germany have reached out about hosting a future regular-season game, and there is “renewed interest” among the owners. The league is intent on expanding its international series, and it will have three games in London this season for the second straight year.

Arizona hosted San Francisco in Mexico City in 2005, drawing a record crowd of 103,467 for a regular-season game. There have been five preseason matches played in Germany, none since 1994.

Goodell also says Rio de Janeiro has shown interest in staging a Pro Bowl.

The commissioner cites the “passion for our game and taking it to another level” for the league pursuing more international matches.

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In a memo sent to each NFLPA player representative and executive board member, the union cites the NFL’s “mismanagement” of several incidents, including the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson cases.

The memo contends the league has “inconsistencies that have led to the lack of credibility and damage to our brand.”

The union says the league has not complied with the labor agreement reached in 2011 in regard to personal conduct discipline. The memo mentions “imposed superficial changes to the adjudication process,” apparently referring to commissioner Roger Goodell installing stronger punishment for first-time offenders of the policy.

The NFL did not immediately respond to the union’s memo.

Goodell announced in August a stiffer penalty for players involved with domestic violence after originally suspending Rice for two games for punching his then-fiancee in a casino elevator. Goodell acknowledged the punishment was too lenient. The guideline now calls for a six-game suspension for a first offense.

“We remain committed to discussing these issues with the league and the NFL owners,” the union memo said, “and will continue to call on them to recognize collective bargaining as the best and only solution to the issues of prevention, education, due process and discipline.”

The union believes the league has ignored “due diligence and due process” in its handling of cases under the personal conduct policy. The memo accuses the NFL of refusing to honor an agreement in Peterson’s case, and it calls for “a full and fair hearing before a neutral arbitrator” for all players in all disciplinary cases.

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