Before the Washington Redskins played the San Francisco 49ers on Monday in Maryland, African American, Latino and Native American leaders reportedly “stood with their backs to the stadium” and protested the team’s name, with one radio host comparing Redskins fans to drug addicts.
According to the Washington Post, local radio personality “Jay Winter Nightwolf called on fans to think about the history of the word, one that has been traced to when bounties were paid for the skins of American Indians.”
“I know you love your team, and I know you just got to have it,” he said reportedly said. “But it’s time to kick the habit.”
The news conference was reportedly “attended by representatives of CASA of Maryland, Blacks in Government, the Prince George’s County chapter of the NAACP and other groups.” Protesters said the name was “disgusting,” “disparaging,” “unacceptable.”
Others compared the name to the “N-word” and said there would be riots if another racial group was depicted similarly.
“That would not be okay,” Zorayda Moreira-Smith of CASA of Maryland, according to the Post. “That would cause a riot, chaos. Everyone would be upset. So, why is it okay when it’s called the Washington Redskins?”
Redskins owner Dan Snyder has vowed “NEVER” to change the team’s name even though President Barack Obama suggested he would consider changing the team’s name if he were the owner and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would have to listen even if only one person were offended.
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