Del. Faleomavaega: ‘Redskins’ Must Change Name, Connotes Violence and Abuse Against Native Americans

Eni Faleomavaega: Washington Redskins Name a ‘Moral Issue’ (Politico)

Changing the name of the Washington Redskins is “not even about sports,” Del. Eni Faleomavaega pleaded on the House floor Tuesday.

“This is a moral issue that reaches far back to the time when Native Americans are not only considered outcasts but deemed enemies by the colonial government,” the American Samoa Democrat said, according to a transcript of his remarks. “The only game of sporting was hunting and killing Indians like animals for money.”

Ten members of Congress urged a name-change in a May letter to Redskins owner Dan Snyder, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Redskins sponsor FedEx, among others, describing the name as a slur among the ethnic group, “akin to the ‘N-word’ among African Americans or the ‘W-word’ among Latinos.”

In his remarks, Faleomavaega responded to Rush Limbaugh, who said earlier this month that the team’s name isn’t a government issue. The conservative radio host said if fans were offended by the name, they wouldn’t go to FedEx Field, but because they do, “it obviously isn’t upsetting too many people.”