D.C. Delegate Renews Plea for Redskins Name Change
Tom Ramstack
The Legal Forum, offering legal representation, language translation, media services.
The District of Columbia’s congressional delegate is using a nationwide movement against racism to renew her call for the Washington Redskins to change their name.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) says the name is offensive to Native Americans. It has been the subject of failed lawsuits to force team owner Dan Snyder to change the name.
He has steadfastly refused, saying the Redskins name is linked to a noble history of professional football in the nation’s capital dating to 1933.
“The name has cost Snyder far more than it could possibly be worth,” Norton said.
For years, Snyder has wanted to move the football team back to the District of Columbia. His preferred site is the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which is scheduled for demolition next year.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has said she also would like to bring the football team back to the District of Columbia. However, the D.C. Council will not allow the move as long as the football team carries the Redskins name.
The Redskins’ s lease at FedEx Stadium in Prince George’s County is set to expire in 2027. Snyder is considering a move into a new stadium closer to D.C. somewhere in the Virginia suburbs.
Snyder told USA Today in a 2013 interview, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER––you can use caps.”
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