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
MAP: Road Closures for Trump’s Military Parade
The Smithsonian Says It Will Decide Who Runs Its Museums, Thanks; Trump’s Parade Will Close Some DC Streets for Days; and a Maryland Bear Got a Ride to a Park in Virginia
Man Jumps From AU Radio Tower in Apparent Suicide
Smaller Crowds, Big Emotions for Army’s 250th: What We Heard Around DC
The Latest on the June 14 Trump Military Parade in DC
Washingtonian Magazine
June Issue: Pride Guide
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Army Says Tanks Didn’t Damage DC’s Streets; Trump Attends, Leaves G-7 Summit; and an Alligator Got Escorted Out of Fairfax
5 Things to Know About the New Trump Smartphone
PHOTOS: Army 250 Festival and Parade
Trump’s Damp Military Parade Overshadowed by Weekend of Political Violence, Protests; Dems Turn Out Early for Virginia Primary; Washington Post Journalists Hacked
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
PHOTOS: “No Kings” Protests Draw Thousands in DC Area
Smaller Crowds, Big Emotions for Army’s 250th: What We Heard Around DC
Man Jumps From AU Radio Tower in Apparent Suicide