The Washington Redskins name change will never happen claims the NFL team. In fact, they have even responded to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid by writing a three page letter that claims the term “redskins” is actually “respectful.”
In a related report by The Inquisitr , even though the Oneida Indian nation petitioned the NFL to force the Redskins name change , nothing came out of the effort and owner Daniel Snyder claimed only 10 percent of Native Americans support a Redskins name change based upon polling data. The effort to force the Redskins name change was stepped up a notch recently when 50 Democratic Senators plus Harry Reid signed a letter to the NFL asking them to force the Redskins owners to change their name and they even compared the situation to the racist owner of the NBA’s Clippers:
“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.”
The NFL itself sent a very quick reply to the demand for a Washington Redskins name change:
“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.”
Now Redskins team President Bruce Allen has responded by writing a letter to Harry Reid which had the title “The Truth about the Redskins’ Name and Logo.” The three page letter claims “the term Redskins originated as a Native American expression of solidarity” and even claims that Native Americans should support the name:
“Our use of `Redskins’ as the name of our football team for more than 80 years has always been respectful of and shown reverence toward the proud legacy and traditions of Native Americans.”
The letter also points out that the current Washington Redskins logo was designed by Native American leaders and claims that the majority of Native Americans would not support the Redskins name change. The team president also cited statistical data that shows that in 2014 around 83 percent of Americans keeping the name the same.
Do you think the NFL organization should force the Washington Redskins name change?
[Image via Osprey Dawn ]