Ombudsman: ESPN Considered Banning Use of 'Redskins'

ESPN’s ombudsman revealed that the network considered banning the use of “Redskins” but declined to do so because of the news that such a move would inevitably make. 

In a column about the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot that ESPN host Dan Le Batard gave to Deadspin, ombudsman Robert Lipsyte wrote on Friday:

Not only do I think there is a conflict of interest in voting for the Hall of Fame but I think it puts writers in the position of making news as well as covering it. That is against ESPN policy (and recently was one of the in-house arguments against banning use of the nickname of the NFL Washington franchise). 

Other outlets like Peter King’s MMQB at Sports Illustrated decided this year to not use “Redskins” in covering the “Washington football team.”