Members of Congress send letter urging Redskins to change name

The Washington Redskins name-change controversy just won’t go away.

Two weeks after Dan Snyder, the owner of the Redskins, said he will never change the team’s name as long as he owns the franchise, 10 members of Congress sent letters urging a name change. The letters went to Snyder, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Redskins sponsor FedEx and the other 31 NFL franchises.

“Native Americans throughout the country consider the ‘R-word’ a racial, derogatory slur akin to the ‘N-word’ among African Americans or the ‘W-word’ among Latinos,” the letter said.

“Such offensive epithets would no doubt draw wide-spread disapproval among the NFL’s fan base. Yet the national coverage of Washington’s NFL football team profits from a term that is equally disparaging to Native Americans.”

“In this day and age, it is imperative that you uphold your moral responsibility to disavow the usage of racial slurs. The usage of the “R-word” is especially harmful to Native American youth, tending to lower their sense of dignity and self-esteem. It also diminishes feelings of community worth among the Native American tribes and dampens the aspirations of their people.”

The Washington Post released the names of the 10 members of Congress involved: Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Michael M. Honda (D-Calif.), Donna M. Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia).

There has been no reaction from the Redskins or any of the other people to receive the letter. On May 1, a similar proposal was made by D.C. Councilman David Grosso, asking the team to change its name to Redtails to honor the Tuskegee Airmen. Snyder reacted on May 10 by saying the team would never change its name.

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