The Washington Redskins have nearly removed all vestiges of former team owner and reported racist, George Preston Marshall. Last week, the team removed his statue and his name from the lower bowl at FedEx Field.
This week, the team says they will remove Marshall from the team’s Ring of Honor.
According to Sports Illustrated:
Marshall was awarded the NFL franchise in 1932, that initially was known as the Boston Braves. Soon after, he changed the club’s nickname to what it is now, and by 1937, he moved the team to Washington D.C., where its name has remained the same.
By 1961, Washington was the only of 14 NFL teams that hadn’t integrated. According to the Washington Post, U.S. Interior Secretary Stewart Udall confronted Marshall about the topic that March, explaining that then-DC Stadium was on national park land and that the team might not keep its lease if Marshall didn’t sign a Black player. Marshall said he wanted to discuss the issue with President John F. Kennedy.
Per the Post, Marshall marketed his all-white team as “the team of the South.” The team’s popular song that he commissioned, “Hail to the Redskins,” included the line “Fight for Old Dixie” (later changed to “Fight for Old D.C.”).
With the Redskins taking this step, speculation has grown rampant inside the sports media that the team might soon change its name. Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder has repeatedly said that he will not change the name.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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