A group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill is calling on the Washington Redskins to drop the name that has long been deemed offensive to Native Americans, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Ten members of Congress said Tuesday that they have sent letters to Redskins owner Dan Snyder, team sponsor FedEx, National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s 31 other teams in which they assert that the “R-word” is analogous to other racial slurs. The bipartisan group of lawmakers signing the letters included Reps. Tom Cole (R-OK) and Betty McCollum (D-MN), the leaders of the Congressional Native American Caucus.
In January, Washington, D.C. Vincent Gray said that the team must first consider a name change it it hopes to ever re-locate to the District of Columbia. The Redskins currently play their home games at FedExField in Landover, Md.
Snyder has rejected previous calls to change the team’s name.
