Interior Sec’y: Redskins Name Change ‘Isn’t High’ on Native Americans’ Agenda

US Interior Secretary Surprised Redskins Team Name Not Changed (ABC News)

It’s “surprising” that the Washington Redskins football team hasn’t changed its name, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said, though adding that the issue isn’t high on the agenda of Native-American tribes with whom she has spoken.

“Personally, I think we would never consider naming a team the ‘Blackskins’ or the ‘Brownskins’ or the ‘Whiteskins.’ So, personally, I find it surprising that in this day and age, the name is not different,” Jewell, who heads the department that includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs, told ABC News’ David Kerley when asked whether the name should be changed.

“But in talking with tribal leaders, this has not been the issue that they have talked about with me, and I think that there is debate, even among the Native American community, on the Washington Redskins, and certainly there are a lot of people who have pride in that team,” Jewell added. “So, my personal views are not necessarily reflected in the tribes that I talk to. It isn’t high on their agenda.”