Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines said the NFL was wrong to allow the Washington Commanders to dump its previous logo, in what he calls a “case of woke gone wrong.”
Appearing on Fox News’s America Reports, Daines said that the Commanders should reverse course and return their former logo to the team.
“We were calling out leaders in case of really, woke gone wrong. The irony that they were canceling Native American culture as the DEI movement went way too far,” Daines told Fox News. “This is honoring a Blackfeet chief who was born in Montana. He is highly esteemed. The Blackfeet tribe of Montana, their current chairman and tribal council signed a letter in strong support to bring the logo back. It honors Indian Country.”
Daines added that there have been talks with the NFL and the Commanders about the idea:
We have good discussions with the NFL and with the Commanders. There’s good faith in negotiations going forward that’s going to allow this logo to be used again. Perhaps revenues going to a foundation that could help Native Americans in sports and so forth. We’re making good progress and, based on the good faith negotiations, I made a decision to support this bill yesterday in the committee.
The man credited with the creation of the original logo, Blackie Wetzel, says he based his image on John Two Guns White Calf in 1971. The surviving family of John Two Guns White Calf also back the call to return the Redskins name and logo to the NFL.
“(Don Wetzel) had a vision to use the proud symbol to benefit his people,” Daines told committee members on Tuesday, according to the Daily Montanan. “This morning, I spoke to his son, Ryan Wetzel, about the ongoing negotiations and the progress that has been made.”
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Daines concluded, saying, “I am proud to say, after speaking with my constituents, that they are satisfied with the ongoing negotiations with the team and feel optimistic about the direction that they are heading. Therefore, I will support the bill and vote in favor of its passage out of committee with the condition that the team follows through on the commitments made to the family.”
The Redskins logo and name was eliminated in 2020 by left-wing activists who pestered the Redskins for nearly two decades to end its usage of Native American imagery, despite that many polls showed that fans did not want the logos removed; even polls showed Native Americans were not bothered by the use of the images.
Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated to reflect that the proposal Daines supports would change the logo of the team back.
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