Two members of Congress have written a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell urging Goodell and the league “to take a formal position in support of a name change” by the Washington Redskins.

The letter by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) is to be sent Monday to Goodell.

“The NFL can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur,” Cantwell and Cole write in the letter. “It is clear that you haven’t heard the leading voices of this country — and not just Indian Country. Virtually every major civil rights organization in America has spoken out in opposition to this name including the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, the Rainbow Coalition and the League of United Latin American Citizens.”

The letter mentions the league’s tax-exempt status and says the league is “on the wrong side of history. It is not appropriate for this multibillion dollar… tax-exempt organization to perpetuate and profit from the continued degradation of tribes and Indian people. It is time for the National Football League to formally support and push for a name change for the Washington football team.”

Redskins spokesman Tony Wyllie responded in a written statement: “With all the important issues Congress has to deal with such as a war in Afghanistan to deficits to health care, don’t they have more important issues to worry about than a football team’s name? And given the fact that the name of Oklahoma means ‘Red People’ in Choctaw, this request is a little ironic.”

Goodell said late last month at his annual news conference at the Super Bowl that the NFL was “listening” to and “being respectful” to those who have expressed opposition to the Redskins’ name. But Goodell also said during that Jan. 31 news conference in New York that the team has “honored” Native Americans with its use of the name.

“I’ve been spending the last year talking to many of the leaders in the Native American communities,” Goodell said then. “We are listening. We are trying to make sure we understand the issues. Let me remind you: This is the name of a football team, a football team that’s had that name for 80 years and has presented the name in a way that it has honored Native Americans.”

Cantwell and the committee have been talking to the league for several months. The letter comes after Goodell’s comments during his State-of-the-NFL address before the Super Bowl took a different tone than his previous statement on the issue.

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and other team officials have said they don’t plan to change the name.

“We recognize that there are some that don’t agree with the name, and we have listened and respected that,” Goodell said at his Super Bowl week news conference. “But if you look at the numbers, including in the Native American communities — in the Native American community polled, nine out of 10 supported the name. Eight out of 10 Americans in the general population would not like us to change the name. So we are listening. We are being respectful to people who disagree. But let’s not forget this is the name of a football team.”

The letter is significant because each lawmaker has the perch to increase the public pressure on Snyder and the Redskins.

Cantwell is chairman of Senate Indian Affairs Committee, holding both the power to hold hearings and issue subpoenas. That panel helped drive the investigation into the felonious lobbying activities of Jack Abramoff and his associates, for fleecing tribal clients.

Cole is a very popular member on both sides of the aisle and a senior member of the appropriations committee, which has in the past been used as a battleground to impose Congress’s will on certain subjects. NASCAR and the Defense Department, for instance, have battled appropriators who’ve tried to limit the Pentagon’s ability to sponsor race cars and events. Cole, a member of the Chickasaw tribe, is one of just two Native Americans in Congress, according to the Congressional Research Service.

“Saying the Washington football team ‘honored Native Americans’ perpetuates a charade that dishonors native people and their governments and erodes the reputation of the National Football League,” they wrote to Goodell. “We believe that the fact that this term does not honor — but rather disparages — Indian people and tribes is what will and should guide federal policymakers.”

An NFL spokesman said the league will respond “in an appropriate manner” when it receives the letter.

NFL officials met in October with representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation, which has expressed opposite to the Redskins’ name.

The day before Goodell’s news conference in New York, DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, said it was appropriate for the sport’s leaders and interested parties to have a “broad discussion” about the team’s name.

“I grew up a Redskin fan and I grew up in Washington,” Smith told a Washington Post reporter after the union’s annual Super Bowl news conference. “And as we’ve said before, I think we’re in a better world if we’re not intentionally offending anyone. I think that any time we engage in a broad discussion, whether it be with fans or other interested parties about how to do our jobs better, and that might include the Redskin name, I think that’s positive.”


You can read the entire letter to Goodell here: http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/politics/letter-to-roger-goodell-on-redskins-name/803/

If they change the name because 2 people in Congress are offended, then change all the teams with Native American nicknames and or logos.

Dead wrote:

If they change the name because 2 people in Congress are offended, then change all the teams with Native American nicknames and or logos.

i.e.: Atlanta Braves; Cleveland Indians; Chicago Blackhawks; Kansas City Chiefs; Florida State Seminoles;

A note about the Noles: The Seminole Tribe of Florida is 100% FOR Florida State University to use the Seminole name.

It's been proven that plenty of native american's could give a rat's ass about the name of a football team.  Let alone two congressmen who should be focusing on fixing the country instead of trying o change something that has been stubbornly the same for 80+ years.

Skins Till The End wrote:

It's been proven that plenty of native american's could give a rat's ass about the name of a football team.

Then surely it should be changed?

Apparently Redskins is an offensive term for Native Americans.

Thats what people say, but back in the day, one of the biggest proponents in this modern age for changing it, didn't find the name offensive.  It was when she went to a game, and there were some dicks that were like, mah gawd it's an indian.  So they messed with her and her husband throughout the game.  If it wasn't for people like them, this probably wouldn't have even been an issue.

It wasn't a racist term, but it was used in racist context. It's not the equivalent of the N word. It's more the equivalent of "blacks" in a southern accent or what many believe the n word has become today, where meaning varies dramatically based on tone and context. Words mean whatever you want them to mean. If the Redskins, as an organization, tried to build up the Native American population/history I don't think there would be a problem.

The Indians is a way more offensive term than Redskins.

With that cartoonish logo I think it is. Borderline blackface.

I'm kinda neutral on this since I know very little about the term.

Well you won't ever know the real feelings as we slaughtered all of them. We killed 3.5 million native Americans for the same reasons Hitler killed 6 million* Jews and yet they aren't taught the fucking same way...

I think the real motive behind this is trying to make people forget what we did. Tired of that good old white guilt.

Since the logo is apart of this, why not...you know..just do this

SuperBowl Champs wrote:

I'm kinda neutral on this since I know very little about the term.

You're Mexican, you probably have some Amerindian in you, you should have a stance.

I put the apostrophe there because I've heard the 6 million figure was exaggerated. I guess the Russians have the documents that would prove it one way or the other. I've heard as low as 500,000 were actually killed. IDK for sure one way or the other.

The Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians are offensive in different ways.


The Redskins name is offensive. My solution, rename them the Warriors. Keep the logos, colors, ect. The logo isn't offensive, its actually a very cool and authentic looking logo.

Note that I don't thing the team is offensive, but as a white man, my opinion on it should be irrelevant one way or another.


The Cleveland Indians need to change their logo. That shit is like something out of a 1920's Klan manual. However, the name is fine. Pretty much every unbiased poll has confirmed that they prefer to be called "American Indians" (which is what is on job applications and school tests) over "Native Americans" by a significant margin. But yeah, that Logo is probably the most racist thing I've seen in mainstream sports.

I think it's retarded to change it.