CFL West

The Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos have reportedly agreed to expedite their name review and provide an update in that regard by the end of July, according to Phil Heidenreich of the Global News.

In a statement, Edmonton said it was taking "this issue seriously as has been demonstrated by the three years we've spent engaging in Canada's North and conducting research related to our name. We recognize that a lot has occurred since this information was gathered, and as a result, we are accelerating our ongoing process of review."

The team also said it was further consulting with the Inuit community, stakeholders and sponsors.

That came after insurance provider Belairdirect said Tuesday that it was rethinking its sponsorship of the team. The company released the following statement:

"For several years, we have been a sponsor of the Edmonton Eskimos. At Belairdirect, one of our core values is respect, which is founded on seeing diversity as a strength, being inclusive and collaborative. Guided by this value, in order for us to move forward and continue on with our partnership, we will need to see concrete action in the near future, including a commitment to a name change."

A number of other partners, including Maple Leaf Foods, Fisherman's Friend, Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Ltd., Servus Credit Union and Tim Hortons, said they had been in contact with the team regarding the name review or supported the review.

Edmonton's potential name change comes at a time when various nicknames around sports have come under scrutiny or are being changed. Most notably, Washington's NFL team—which has long come under fire for having a racially offensive nickname—announced Monday it would officially be changing its moniker.

"That review has begun in earnest," the team said in a statement (h/t Homero De la Fuente and Wayne Sterling of CNN.com). "As part of this process, we want to keep our sponsors, fans and community apprised of our thinking as we go forward. Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the name and logo upon completion of this review."

Washington has not yet named a replacement nickname.

The CFL's Edmonton Eskimos released kick return specialist Christion Jones over homophobic tweets he posted last week.

"We stand with the LGBTQ2+ community and firmly condemn the language used by Christion Jones. There is no place for such commentary on our team," the Eskimos said in a statement announcing Jones' release.

The CFL also released a statement condemning Jones' comments:

“We in the CFL hold high the Diversity Is Strength banner. Our league makes no claim on perfection, but it does strive to be inclusive, to accept and indeed celebrate our differences, and to respect and honour human rights. There is no place in our league for commentary that disparages people on the basis of their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation. As Pride Month continues, we stand with the LGBTQ+ community. We all need to say no to hate and yes to love.”

Jones sent out tweets Friday saying a "man ain't suppose to be with a man. A women ain't suppose to be with another woman." When the tweets drew blowback, Jones said he "won't be changing how I feel anytime soon."

Jones apologized in a tweet Sunday. 

"From Janis Irwin. 'This is an opportunity for growth.' She is absolutely right. My words were deeply hurtful, painful and served zero purpose," Jones said. "I added to the struggle of a community, to live a life free of oppression of any kind. I sincerely apologize. I was wrong."

Jones played college football at Alabama and briefly spent time with the Miami Dolphins in 2015 and 2016 before joining the CFL. He played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2017 to 2019 before being traded to Edmonton last August.

In 33 career games played, Jones has made eight receptions for 49 yards. He has added three punt returns for touchdowns.