University of Minnesota threatened with lawsuit over ‘Redskins’ name
Washington’s team name continues to bring controversy and lawsuits.
Al Messerschmidt
The Minnesota Vikings are playing all of their home games at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota this season. One of those contests will be against Washington, and it is potentially going to bring about a lawsuit by the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media, according to Sports Illustrated.
The group is threatening to bring legal action against the university if it does not ban the name “Redskins” and all of the associated helmets and jerseys on Nov. 2, the date of the game. It has been previously reported by Sports Illustrated that the university is trying to block the name throughout the contest, but the NFL has rules that state teams have to participate in the marketing of their opposition.
This is not the first time Minnesota has seen an issue when Washington has come into town. The name was protested last November when Washington played at the Metrodome, and even all the way back in 1992 before Super Bowl XXVI when Washington played the Buffalo Bills.
Washington’s team name has been under fire for years, but lately the fervor around it has greatly intensified. The Washington Post announced earlier in August that the name is viewed as a slur and will no longer be run in the editorials.
"The matter seems clearer to us now than ever, and while we wait for the National Football League to catch up with thoughtful opinion and common decency, we have decided that, except when it is essential for clarity or effect, we will no longer use the slur ourselves," the statement reads. "That's the standard we apply to all offensive vocabulary, and the team name unquestionably offends not only many Native Americans but many other Americans, too."
In June, the United States Patent Office denied the team registration of the name, stating that the name is "disparaging to Native Americans."
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