Washington Post Demands Change: Redskins Name 'Racial Slur'

The day after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL had to listen to concerns about the Redskins name even if only “one person” is offended, the Washington Post editorial board wrote it welcomed Goodell’s softened stance and urged the Redskins to change their name. 

The Post wrote on Thursday that the Redskins name “is a racial slur of Native Americans so offensive that it should no longer be tolerated.”

“If one person is offended, we have to listen,” Goodell had said on Wednesday in comments reported by Breitbart Sports. 

The Post wrote that “it was unclear” if Goodell’s “nuanced pivot” was directed toward team owner Dan Snyder, “but we hope Mr. Snyder was listening.” The Post wrote that the “the name is offensive to a great many more than Mr. Goodell’s hypothetical one person.”

“We understand that changing the name is not a trifling matter. There is a cost (estimated by some to be as high as $20 million), but surely the owner of the NFL’s third-most valuable franchise can afford it,” the Post opined. “Perhaps there is even a fear that fans will desert or turn against the team if it changes its name. We think that underestimates Washington fans and their deep feelings for this team. We urge Mr. Snyder to have more faith than that in his fan base and to listen more carefully to those who love the team and hate the ethnic slur.”