WaPo to Redskins Owner: 'Change the Name. NOW'

Editorial board says if Dan Snyder won't do it, the NFL should
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 20, 2020 5:30 AM CDT
WaPo to Redskins Owner: 'Change the Name. NOW'
In this Aug. 7, 2014, file photo, the Washington Redskins NFL football team logo is seen on the field before an NFL football preseason game against the New England Patriots in Landover, Md.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Washington Post editorial board is calling on Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to change his football club's name. Under the headline "Change the Name of the Washington NFL Team. Now," the newspaper says in an editorial posted online Friday that if Snyder won’t switch the name, the professional football league itself ought to do so, per the AP. "This should be an easy call. Mr. Snyder—or, if Mr. Snyder refuses to back down from his declaration of 'NEVER,' the NFL—should take advantage of this singular moment in history to get on the right side of history," the Post notes. "Change the name. NOW." Snyder has owned the team since 1999 and steadfastly vowed to keep the name, despite calls to reconsider, a push that has resurfaced during the ongoing national reckoning over racism.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser last week called the name "an obstacle" to the team building a new stadium and headquarters in the nation's capital, where a project likely would be on land leased by the federal government. The club currently has its stadium in Maryland, and its practice facility in Virginia. "I think it's past time for the team to deal with what offends so many people," Bowser told the Team 980 radio station. "This is a great franchise with a great history that's beloved in Washington, and it deserves a name that reflects the affection that we've built for the team."

(More Washington Redskins stories.)

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