A Washington Redskins name change is being demanded by 50 United States Senators who have signed a letter to the NFL. The Senators call the Redskins name a “racial slur” and insist that keeping the name would be similar to if the NBA had ignored the racist quotes from Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling.
In a related report by The Inquisitr , last year it was rumored that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was considering changing the name to the Washington Bravehearts , but he also sent a letter defending the Redskins name . Even though the Oneida Indian nation petitioned the NFL to force the Redskins name change , nothing came out of the effort and Snyder claimed only 10 percent of Native Americans support a Redskins name change based upon polling data.
Still, the name is so politically sensitive right now that the Colbert Report TV show got into trouble by making a joke about the situation and some people started a social media campaign to get Colbert cancelled. Harry Reid made waves when he demanded that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell “remove this hateful term from your league’s vocabulary and rid the league of racism and bigotry. Your fans will support it.” Reid also went on the offensive, claiming that the NFL is “sitting on its hands doing nothing while an entire population of Americans has been denigrated.” President Obama also agreed with the sentiment this past October, claiming that he would change the Redskins name if he were the owner instead of POTUS.
The NY Times reports that 50 Democratic Senators (which pretty means almost all of them considering that there are currently 53 Democrats in the Senate) signed a letter to the NFL which was circulated by Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell and endorsed by Harry Reid. Not a single Republican was asked whether or not they’d join in on the effort.
The letter says in part:
“The NFL can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur. We urge you and the National Football League to send the same clear message as the N.B.A. did: that racism and bigotry have no place in professional sports.”
Essentially, since the Redskins owner has repeatedly not shown any interest in giving in to the whims of political correctness, these Democrats have decided to pressure the NFL into complying instead. But the NFL has already officially responded via spokesman Brian McCarthy, and they’re about as impressed with the effort as Snyder:
“We have not received the letter, but the NFL has long demonstrated a commitment to progressive leadership on issues of diversity and inclusion, both on and off the field. The name is not used by the team or the NFL in any other context, though we respect those that view it differently.”
Do you think the NFL should force Daniel Snyder to have a Washington Redskins name change?