Baseball Hall of Fame announces Chief Wahoo logo will not be on Jim Thome's plaque

Or the plaque of any other Indians player going forward, for that matter

By Mike Axisa

Mar 21, 2018 at 4:31 pm ET • 1 min read

Later this year longtime big league slugger Jim Thome will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Vladimir Guerrero, Chipper Jones, Trevor Hoffman, Alan Trammell, and Jack Morris. Thome, Guerrero, Chipper, and Hoffman were voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Trammell and Morris were voted in by the Modern Era committee.

A few weeks after being announced as one of baseball's newest Hall of Famers, Thome said he does not want the Cleveland Indians' controversial Chief Wahoo logo to appear on his Hall of Fame plaque, and he is getting his wish. On Wednesday the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Chief Wahoo logo will not appear on Thome's plaque or any other plaque going forward.

Here is the Hall of Fame's statement:

When Jim Thome's Hall of Fame plaque is unveiled in July, it will feature the "Block C" logo as opposed to the "Chief Wahoo" logo that the Cleveland Indians have displayed on team caps in many seasons since its introduction in 1947.
In January, Major League Baseball announced that the Indians will remove the "Chief Wahoo" logo from uniforms after the 2018 season, deeming it no longer appropriate for on-field use. As MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained, "Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game."
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum concurs with the Commissioner's sentiment and acknowledges the shifting societal view of Native American logos in baseball.
Although examples of the "Chief Wahoo" logo can be found in our Museum exhibits, and on Early Wynn's 1972 Hall of Fame plaque, the Hall of Fame will no longer use the logo in the creation of new plaques.

Fourteen players have gone into the Hall of Fame as a Cleveland Indian, not including Thome, and only Early Wynn has the Chief Wahoo logo on his plaque. Others have the "Block C" logo or no logo at all. Thome said he wants the "Block C" on his plaque because he believes it is "the right thing to do."

Back in January the Indians announced they will remove the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms by 2019. The team will still sell limited merchandise with the logo in order to retain control of the trademark.