A painful controversy concerning the NFL’s Washington franchise turned political yesterday, when US Senate Democrats sent a letter to the National Football League, asking Commissioner Roger Goodell to compel team owner Dan Snyder to change the name.
“Tribes have worked for generations to preserve the right to speak their languages and perform their sacred ceremonies,” reads the letter, written by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Maria Cantwell of Washington state. “Yet every Sunday during football season, the Washington, D.C. football team mocks their culture.”
Both Reid and Cantwell have been on the record about their distaste for the team’s name. Now they’ve added the signatures of 48 of their colleagues—all but two of whom are Democrats. (Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont are independents who caucus with Democrats.)
The letter repeatedly cites the action taken this month by the National Basketball Association in expelling Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling after he was heard on tape making racially insulting comments. The New York Times reports that Cantwell and Reid only circulated the letter among the Democratic caucus and did not share it with any Republican members, potentially turning one of the ugliest chapters in American sports into a partisan issue.
Snyder has said repeatedly and sometimes loudly that he has no plans to change the name, and Goodell, who grew up cheering for Washington, has backed him up. The league stood by Snyder again in a statement issued Thursday morning.
“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,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy writes in an email. “The intent of the team’s name has always been to present a strong, positive and respectful image. The name is not used by the team or the NFL in any other context, though we respect those that view it differently. The team name is not used by the team or the NFL in any other context, though we respect those that view it differently.”
The team’s name has its roots in an attempt by the franchise’s original owner, George Preston Marshall, to “honor” William Henry Dietz, the team’s coach from 1933 to 1934, who claimed Sioux ancestry that is still disputed today.
Although both senators from Maryland, where the team plays, signed the document, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia, where the team is based, did not.
The letter also charges the NFL with having an inconsistent anti-racism policy. The league recently announced it would start fining players who use slurs against African-Americans. Most dictionaries define “Redskin” as a derogatory term for Native Americans.
“What message does it send to punish slurs against African Americans while endorsing slurs against Native Americans?” the letter reads.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Fifty Senators Sign Letter Urging Redskins to Change Their Name
Nearly every Senate Democrat goes on record against the team's name.
A painful controversy concerning the NFL’s Washington franchise turned political yesterday, when US Senate Democrats sent a letter to the National Football League, asking Commissioner Roger Goodell to compel team owner Dan Snyder to change the name.
“Tribes have worked for generations to preserve the right to speak their languages and perform their sacred ceremonies,” reads the letter, written by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Maria Cantwell of Washington state. “Yet every Sunday during football season, the Washington, D.C. football team mocks their culture.”
Both Reid and Cantwell have been on the record about their distaste for the team’s name. Now they’ve added the signatures of 48 of their colleagues—all but two of whom are Democrats. (Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont are independents who caucus with Democrats.)
The letter repeatedly cites the action taken this month by the National Basketball Association in expelling Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling after he was heard on tape making racially insulting comments. The New York Times reports that Cantwell and Reid only circulated the letter among the Democratic caucus and did not share it with any Republican members, potentially turning one of the ugliest chapters in American sports into a partisan issue.
Snyder has said repeatedly and sometimes loudly that he has no plans to change the name, and Goodell, who grew up cheering for Washington, has backed him up. The league stood by Snyder again in a statement issued Thursday morning.
“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,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy writes in an email. “The intent of the team’s name has always been to present a strong, positive and respectful image. The name is not used by the team or the NFL in any other context, though we respect those that view it differently. The team name is not used by the team or the NFL in any other context, though we respect those that view it differently.”
The team’s name has its roots in an attempt by the franchise’s original owner, George Preston Marshall, to “honor” William Henry Dietz, the team’s coach from 1933 to 1934, who claimed Sioux ancestry that is still disputed today.
Although both senators from Maryland, where the team plays, signed the document, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia, where the team is based, did not.
The letter also charges the NFL with having an inconsistent anti-racism policy. The league recently announced it would start fining players who use slurs against African-Americans. Most dictionaries define “Redskin” as a derogatory term for Native Americans.
“What message does it send to punish slurs against African Americans while endorsing slurs against Native Americans?” the letter reads.
Letter to Commissioner Goodell on Washington Football Team Name
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Rock Creek Isn’t Safe to Swim In. RFK Jr. Did It Anyway.
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2025
Jeanine Pirro: 5 Things to Know About the Fox News Host Trump Picked to Be DC’s Top Prosecutor
The Devastating Story of Washington’s Peeping-Tom Rabbi
Trump Fires Librarian of Congress, Fox News Host to Be Next Top DC Prosecutor, Possibly Rabid Actual Fox Terrorizes Arlington
Washingtonian Magazine
May Issue: 52 Perfect Saturdays
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
DC Might Be Getting a Watergate Museum
DC-Area Universities Are Offering Trump Classes This Fall
Viral DC-Area Food Truck Flavor Hive Has It in the Bag
Slugging Makes a Comeback for DC Area Commuters
More from News & Politics
Ed Martin Asks Judge to Investigate Lawyer Investigating Him, RFK Jr. Couldn’t Identify Office Named for His Aunt, and We Found Some Terrific Dominican Food
Federal Agents Arrest 189 in DC Immigration Crackdown
Five New Galleries Are Opening at DC’s National Air and Space Museum in July
DOGE’s Geniuses Are Bad at Math, Ed Martin’s New Job Is to “Shame” People, and the Commanders Will Play in Spain
A New Book About Joe Biden Has Washington Chattering, the Library Wars Continue, and the Wizards Lost Out in the Draft
Meet the Duck Whisperer of DC
Rock Creek Isn’t Safe to Swim In. RFK Jr. Did It Anyway.
Humorless Scolds Fret About Trump’s Free Plane From Qatar, RFK Jr. Swam in Rock Creek, and We’ve Got 20 New Restaurants for You to Get Excited About