Stephen A on Redskins: Owners, Fans Saying They Don’t Care About Native Americans’ Opinions

On Monday’s “First Take” on ESPN2, co-host Stephen A Smith reacted to SI.com naming Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder as the “most-hated owner” in the NFL.

Smith pointed out the controversy with the Redskins name and Synder’s stance of not wanting to change the name despite the Native Americans disdain for the name as the main reason why he is hated so much.

“You look at Dan Snyder and he wants to hold on to the Redskins name. It’s incredibly profitable. You see a lot of people in D.C., the nation’s capital, they swear by the name ‘Redskins.’ They don’t think it’s a problem; it’s their problem. They want to hold on to the name for dear life.”

“It is not a racial issue,” he added. “There’s white folks that feel that way, there’s black folks that feel that way. Redskins fans, a lot of them feel, more than half of them feel hold on to the name of the ‘Redskins.’ The problem is the Native Americans have stood up and said, ‘It’s offensive to us,’ and you essentially said you don’t particularly care. ‘Our studies show otherwise. That is the way it is going to be.’ All of those things combined with you not winning contributed to the hatred Dan Snyder gets.”

At the end of the segment, Molly Qerim, the show’s moderator, also took a jab at the Redskins, saying, “We have a team called the ‘Redskins’ in 2015, it’s unbelievable.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.