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STATEMENT BY THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS
ON SENATOR MARIA CANTWELL’S (D-Wash.) LETTER TO THE NFL:
"As the former Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Cantwell should be aware that there are many challenges facing Native Americans, including an extremely cold winter with high energy bills, high unemployment, life threatening health problems, inadequate education and many other issues more pressing than the name of a football team which has received strong support from Native Americans.
If the Senator wants us to change our team name, has she already told that to the team named ‘Redskins’ in Wellpinit, Wash., where the school’s population is more than 90 percent Native American? We hope Senator Cantwell has visited with those students in order to hear their thoughts. We hope Senator Cantwell is aware how upset the students in Port Townsend were when they were forced to change their name.
In an ESPN report on Sept. 18, 2013, Tim Ames, the superintendent of Wellpinit schools stated, ‘I've talked to our students, our parents and our community about this and nobody finds any offense at all in it. Redskins is not an insult to our kids. 'Wagon burners' is an insult. 'Prairie n-----s' is an insult. Those are very upsetting to our kids. But ‘Redskins’ is an honorable name we wear with pride… In fact, I'd like to see somebody come up here and try to change it.’
Finally, why did Senator Cantwell send her letter to the New York Times before she had the courtesy of sending it to the NFL? No one other than a politician does that.
Surely, with all the issues Congress is supposed to work on such as the economy, jobs, war and health care, the Senator must have more important things to do.”
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Lawmakers Warn NFL About Redskins
By: John Keim (ESPN)
The fight to change the Redskins' name won't die. And it's become an issue among the nation's lawmakers.
Two members of Congress will send a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday, telling him to publicly announce support for a name change -- and that the NFL can no longer ignore the issue.
The letter, obtained by multiple media outlets, was written by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). Cantwell is chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, while Cole is a senior member of the appropriations committee -- and a member of the Chickasaw Nation.
"The National Football League can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur," the letter stated.
Cantwell told the newspaper the Indian Affairs Committee would "definitely" examine the NFL's tax-exempt status as a means to apply pressure.
"You're getting a tax break for educational purposes, but you're still embracing a name that people see as a slur and encouraging it," Cantwell told The New York Times.
The letter reiterated that stance, telling the NFL it's on the "wrong side of history." That's why, it stated, the NFL should "take a formal position in support of a name change."
Read the full story at ESPN