Washington’s replacement players from the 1987 strike season will finally get their Super Bowl rings

Washington will give out Super Bowl rings to the replacement players that took part in three games — all wins — during the 1987 strike season. Washington beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII that year, and all the regular players on the roster received rings.

The replacement players, who were primarily released by Washington after the strike ended, were not given rings, despite their 3-0 mark that helped the team to an 11-4 record, best in their division and tied for the second-best in the league.

The team announced on Wednesday that these players would be honored with rings in the future, and cited ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary, Year of the Scab, in its announcement. That documentary aired in September 2017, and since then, there have been many advocating for those players to receive rings. Washington, apparently, has been listening.

Owner Dan Snyder said that the players’ contributions are part of the team’s history, and that they “represent an integral reason why a Lombardi Trophy from the 1987 campaign resides in our facility today.”

The team said they worked closely with the documentary’s director, John Dorsey, “and a number of key partners throughout the last several months to make the rings a reality.” The rings will be made by Baron Rings, with diamonds provided by Uptown Diamond.

The 24-day players’ strike was called by the NFL Players Association after Week 2 of that season, with all of the Week 3 games cancelled.

The following three weeks were played primarily by replacement players, though around 15 percent of the NFLPA’s players chose to cross picket lines and play, including Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Randy White. Multiple Dallas starters played in Week 6, including White, but Washington’s replacements still earned a win.

Washington said that the ceremony to award these rings has not been arranged yet, but that they will make an announcement about it in the future.