Senator Coons was one of 50 senators to write to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday urging the league to change the name of Washington’s team, the Redskins.
“Now is the time for the NFL to act,” the senators wrote. “The Washington, D.C. football team is on the wrong side of history. What message does it send to punish slurs against African Americans while endorsing slurs against Native Americans?”
Civil rights organizations and Tribes across the nation have called on the Washington football team to change its name. Other prominent national organizations in support of a name change include the NAACP, National Council of La Raza, American Association of People with Disabilities, the ACLU, National Organization for Women, and the Anti-Defamation League.
The senators urged the NFL to follow the example of the National Basketball Association in sending a clear message against racism in sports. The Senators pointed to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s swift decision to ban Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling from the league for his racist comments about African-Americans attending basketball games.
Read the letter below:
In addition to the 49 senators who signed this letter, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida sent a separate letter to Commissioner Goodell urging a name change.