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Members Of Congress Urge Snyder To Drop Redskins' Name

By: Ashley Dejean
May 29, 2013
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Activists, D.C. legislators and now members of Congress are calling on Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team's name.
Keith Allison: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/6009909019/
Activists, D.C. legislators and now members of Congress are calling on Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team's name.

Ten members of Congress are urging the Washington Redskins to change their name because it is offensive to many Native Americans.

The representatives say they've sent letters to Redskins owner Dan Snyder, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Redskins sponsor FedEx and the other 31 NFL franchises.

"Native Americans throughout the country consider the 'R-word' a racial, derogatory slur akin to the 'N-word' among African Americans or the 'W-word' among Latinos," says the letter to Snyder.

Among the group sending the letters are the leaders of the Congressional Native American Caucus, Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole and Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum.

The nickname is the subject of a long-running legal challenge from a group seeking to have the team lose its trademark protection.

Snyder has vowed that he will never change the name.

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