Chief Wahoo is on his way out.
Major League Baseball announced today that the Cleveland Indians will remove the red-faced logo from team uniforms in 2019. Wahoo will still appear on Indians’ team store merchandise, however, according to a question-and-answer page posted on MLB.com.
"We have consistently maintained that we are cognizant and sensitive to both sides of the discussion," team owner Paul Dolan said in league news release. "While we recognize many of our fans have a long-standing attachment to Chief Wahoo, I'm ultimately in agreement with Commissioner Manfred's desire to remove the logo from our uniforms in 2019."
Baseball commissioner Robert Manfred said in a statement that the league had held “constructive conversations” with the team about the logo over the past year, and that the team “ultimately agreed” to remove the logo from on-field uniforms.
For years, Native American groups and others have protested the team’s use of the logo, calling it an insulting and racist caricature.