Members of Congress urge Redskins to change name
Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said he will never change the team's name despite opposition from members of Congress. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
The battle between members of the U.S. Government and the Washington Redskins continued Tuesday, when members of Congress once again urged the team to change their name because it is offensive to some Native Americans, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Ten members of Congress said they have sent letters to Redskins owner Dan Snyder, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Redskins sponsor FedEx and the other 31 NFL franchises. Synder has said he will never change the name, despite opposition.
The letter to Snyder says that "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."
More from the AP:
Among the group sending the letters are the leaders of the Congressional Native American Caucus: Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Betty McCollum, D-Minn. The nickname is the subject of a long-running legal challenge from a group seeking to have the team lose its trademark protection.
