Washington Redskins' Name Not Racial Slur, NFL Official Says
The Washington Redskins' name is still a subject of controversy, but one NFL official recently insisted that the team's name is not a racial slur.
In a recent interview on "Outside The Lines", Adolpho Birch, NFL senior vice president of labor policy and government affairs, insisted that there is nothing wrong with the Redskins' name.
"I think that is part of the issue with the question is that it is constantly being sort of put into a point-blank, yes-or-no, yes-or-no kind of context when that's not the reality of the situation that we're dealing with," Birch said via ESPN.
Birch's statement came after NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith revealed on Thursday that some players are convinced that the Redskins' name is indeed a racial slur.
"It's an important issue. The name Redskins is offensive to some and is a slur, I'm not sure that this issue boils down to what any particular player has to say -- what it boils down to is the united nation and others have raised a legitimate conversation to the NFL about the name of the team that is entirely within their control," Smith said.
Smith also added that he has already raised the issue during a conversation with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but he declined to reveal details about their discussion. He also said that he has already talked with the Oneida Indian Nation about the controversy.
Last week, 50 members of the United States Senate sent a letter to Goodell, asking the commissioner to force the Redskins to change the team name as soon as possible.
However, team owner Daniel Snyder remains firm in his stance that the Redskins' name will stay the same, insisting that the name was not intended to be used as a racial slur.
"I would tell you that the Washington Redskins Football Club, the name of that organization is not and never has been intended to be used as a slur and is currently not one as well," Snyder said.