Native American groups ask NFL to force Redskins name change
Several sponsors of the team had also requested the change earlier, and several online stores had removed the team's gear over the name which is called a “dictionary defined racial slur” by Native American advocates and experts.
An employee passes Washington Redskins football shirts for sale at a sporting goods store in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, US, June 24, 2020.
Several Native American leaders and organisations have sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calling for the league to force Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team name immediately.
The letter obtained by The Associated Press is signed by 15 Native American advocates and was sent on Monday. It demands the team and the NFL cease the use of Native American names, imagery and logos — with specific importance put on Washington, which last week launched a “thorough review” of its name.
The groups “expect the NFL to engage in a robust, meaningful reconciliation process with Native American movement leaders, tribes, and organisations to repair the decades of emotional violence and other serious harms this racist team name has caused to Native Peoples."
The NFL did not immediately respond to a message confirming receipt of the letter. Goodell last week expressed support for Snyder's review process of the name.
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Retired PGA Tour golfer Notah Begay, two former executive directors of the National Congress of American Indians and several authors and professors signed on to the letter, which came the same day President Donald Trump criticised the Redskins and Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians for considering name changes.
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 4, 2020
Trump tweeted: "They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct.”
They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct. Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
Snyder had shown no willingness to change the name since buying the team in 1999. Last week, sponsors FedEx, PepsiCo, Nike and Bank of America said they requested the change, and several online stores removed the team's gear.
FedEx CEO Frederick Smith is a minority owner, and the company is the title sponsor of the team's stadium in Landover, Maryland.
The sudden flood of sponsors coming out against the name prompted the organisational review announced Friday.
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“This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organisation, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field,” Snyder said.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in May sparked protests and a nationwide debate on racism.
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That conversation renewed calls for Snyder to change the name called a “dictionary defined racial slur” by Native American advocates and experts.
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