The pressure to have Washington NFL Team Change Its Racist Name Continues
ONEIDA INDIAN HOMELANDS, NEW YORK—Following the National Football League’s recent discussions about its updated conduct policies, the Change the Mascot Campaign today called upon the league and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to immediately implement an owners’ code of conduct to eliminate the use of dictionary-defined racial slurs and to address other behaviors that reflect poorly on the league.
CHANGE THE MASCOT IS URGING GOODELL, WHO OWNED UP TO “GETTING IT WRONG” WITH SEVERAL PAST POLICY CHOICES,* TO STOP IGNORING THIS SERIOUS ISSUE FACING THE LEAGUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN FACED WITH STRONG OPPOSITION FROM LEADING HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS. THE OWNERS’ CODE OF CONDUCT PROVIDES A CHANCE FOR THE NFL TO BE PROACTIVE ON THE ISSUE OF RACISM, AS OPPOSED TO ADOPTING DEFENSIVE AND REACTIVE STANCES TOWARD PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AFTER FINDING ITSELF THE TARGET OF IMMENSE CRITICISM FOR ITS RECENT MISHANDLING OF INCIDENTS INVOLVING PLAYERS.
Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter stated: “The NFL could demonstrate true commitment to opposing racism by implementing an owners’ code of conduct that addresses odious actions by team owners and ends the callous profiting from the use of dictionary-defined racial slurs.”
The Change the Mascot Campaign is calling upon the NFL to implement the following provisions as a part of its code of conduct for owners:
The grassroots Change the Mascot campaign, led by the Oneida Indian Nation and the National Congress of American Indians, works to educate the public about the damaging use of the R-word on Native Americans. The group has reshaped the debate surrounding the Washington team’s name and brought the issue to the forefront of social consciousness over the past year. Since its launch, Change the Mascot’s civil and human rights movement has garnered support from a diverse coalition of prominent advocates including Member of Congress from both sides of the aisle, Native American tribes, sports icons, top journalists and news publications, civil rights organizations and religious leaders.