Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen let it be known that he refuses to change the team’s name, even if it became a political issue to building a new stadium in the nation’s capital or anywhere else.
The Redskins currently play at the FedEx Field in Maryland.
The team has begun a search for a new facility, even though its lease isn’t up until 2026.
According to USAToday,
At a news conference before Washington’s last practice of training camp Monday, Allen said the Redskins have spoken with representatives of Washington, Virginia and Maryland about a spot for a stadium.
“We’ve had great conversations with all the areas, and the design is something that we’ve started on,” Allen said, “but really it is preliminary right now.”
Sally Jewel, Interior Secretary is also said to have told Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser that the National Park Service wouldn’t grant a new lease, due to the team’s name.
Dan Synder also expressed his strong feeling in support of the team’s nickname,
“We will never change the name of the team,” owner Dan Snyder told USA TODAY Sports in 2013. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season.”
When asked Monday about the possibility of revisiting that policy if the name is a political barrier to a new location for the stadium, Allen quickly gave a one-word answer: “No.”
I mean I understand tradition, but with a controversial nickname that reflects an insult to Native Americans it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to look into a new name.