The Washington Redskins’ team name has generated its fair share of controversy, but owner Daniel Snyder always has made his stance on the issue very clear.
Snyder recently spoke with former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, who now co-hosts ESPN 980’s radio show “The Drive,” and as you might expect, the owner had nothing but positive things to say about his team’s polarizing mascot.
“It’s honor. It’s respect. It’s pride,” Snyder said, via The Washington Post, when asked what “being a Redskin” meant to him. “And I think that every player here sees it, feels it, every alumni feels it, and it’s a wonderful thing, it’s a historic thing.”
Synder also urged those who view the team name as racist to consider its historical origins, as he claimed that a Native American chief named Walter “Blackie” Wetzel had a role in designing the logo in 1971.
“He was the president of NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) and a Montana tribe called Blackfeet Nation at the time, and he said, ‘Hey, I want to create a logo for the team, because we really think it should represent us,’ ” Snyder said. “And he went back to Montana and helped create that logo that we all love.”
Not everyone would agree with the last part of Snyder’s remarks, including former Redskins cornerback Champ Bailey, who equated the team’s name to using the “n-word.”
Snyder might have to worry about more than just the opinions of his former employees. The U.S. Patent Office reached a landmark decision in June to cancel the nickname’s trademark, and the name also has received fierce opposition from the U.S. Senate.
Photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
