After its attempt to fight Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the reputation of its name over social media backfired horribly, Washington’s NFL franchise is taking a more traditional route: It has hired one of K Street’s elite lobbying firms.
The team has retained McGuireWoods Consulting to engage members of Congress in “discussions of team origins, history, and traditions,” according to a lobbying disclosure form that surfaced today.
Members of Congress and their staffs should also prepare to be approached about the team’s charitable efforts, including the recently launched Original Americans Foundation, which donates undisclosed amounts of money to Native American reservations.
The franchise’s hiring of McGuireWoods comes a few weeks after Reid and 49 other senators sent NFL Commissioner Roger Goodella letter asking him to persuade Washington owner Dan Snyder to change the name of his team.
The team’s general manager, Bruce Allen, responded a week later by asking Washington fans to pelt Reid with tweets declaring #RedskinsPride. It didn’t go exactly as Allen planned when many opponents of the team name used the hashtag to point out its usual definition as a racial slur against Native Americans.
But tweets are mostly free, and easier to ignore than paid lobbyists who drop by the office. At the very least, McGuireWoods joins a lineup defending the team’s name that already includes White House fixer Lanny Davis, wedge-issue mastermind Frank Luntz, and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer.
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.
Redskins Hire Lobbying Firm to Defend Team Name
Dan Snyder turns to K Street to improve his team's reputation.
After its attempt to fight Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the reputation of its name over social media backfired horribly, Washington’s NFL franchise is taking a more traditional route: It has hired one of K Street’s elite lobbying firms.
The team has retained McGuireWoods Consulting to engage members of Congress in “discussions of team origins, history, and traditions,” according to a lobbying disclosure form that surfaced today.
Members of Congress and their staffs should also prepare to be approached about the team’s charitable efforts, including the recently launched Original Americans Foundation, which donates undisclosed amounts of money to Native American reservations.
The franchise’s hiring of McGuireWoods comes a few weeks after Reid and 49 other senators sent NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a letter asking him to persuade Washington owner Dan Snyder to change the name of his team.
The team’s general manager, Bruce Allen, responded a week later by asking Washington fans to pelt Reid with tweets declaring #RedskinsPride. It didn’t go exactly as Allen planned when many opponents of the team name used the hashtag to point out its usual definition as a racial slur against Native Americans.
But tweets are mostly free, and easier to ignore than paid lobbyists who drop by the office. At the very least, McGuireWoods joins a lineup defending the team’s name that already includes White House fixer Lanny Davis, wedge-issue mastermind Frank Luntz, and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer.
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
See a Spotted Lanternfly? Here’s What to Do.
Meet DC’s 2025 Tech Titans
Trump Travels One Block From White House, Declares DC Crime-Free; Barron Trump Moves to Town; and GOP Begins Siege of Home Rule
The “MAGA Former Dancer” Named to a Top Job at the Kennedy Center Inherits a Troubled Program
Patel Dined at Rao’s After Kirk Shooting, Nonviolent Offenses Led to Most Arrests During Trump’s DC Crackdown, and You Should Try These Gougères
Washingtonian Magazine
September Issue: Style Setters
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
These Confusing Bands Aren’t Actually From DC
Fiona Apple Wrote a Song About This Maryland Court-Watching Effort
The Confusing Dispute Over the Future of the Anacostia Playhouse
Protecting Our Drinking Water Keeps Him Up at Night
More from News & Politics
Bondi Irks Conservatives With Plan to Limit “Hate Speech,” DC Council Returns to Office, and Chipotle Wants Some Money Back
GOP Candidate Quits Virginia Race After Losing Federal Contracting Job, Trump Plans Crackdown on Left Following Kirk’s Death, and Theatre Week Starts Thursday
5 Things to Know About “Severance” Star Tramell Tillman
See a Spotted Lanternfly? Here’s What to Do.
Patel Dined at Rao’s After Kirk Shooting, Nonviolent Offenses Led to Most Arrests During Trump’s DC Crackdown, and You Should Try These Gougères
How a DC Area Wetlands Restoration Project Could Help Clean Up the Anacostia River
Pressure Grows on FBI Leadership as Search for Kirk’s Killer Continues, Kennedy Center Fires More Staffers, and Spotted Lanternflies Are Everywhere
What Is Free DC?