The Washington Redskins will be facing a radio ad campaign to press the club to change their name. The Oneida Indian Nation, an American Indian tribe from upstate New York, will run the ad in Washington, D.C. prior to the Redskins’ Monday night match-up with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The ad calls for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to “stand up to bigotry” and denounce “racial slurs” in team names. Oneida representative Roy Halbritter says in the ad, “We do not deserve to be called redskins. We deserve to be treated as what we are – Americans.”
The ad comes after more intense media scrutiny the team has been facing this offseason. Many news outlets, such as Slate, have refused call the team by their nickname. Other sportswriters and publications have said they would refer to the team as the “Washington football team.” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy stood by the team’s nickname in an email to the associated press stating, “The name from its origin has always intended to be positive and has always been used by the team in a highly respectful manner.” Oneida plans to continue to run the ads in D.C. when the Redskins havehome games and in the cities of their opponents when they play away.
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