DC Mayor Vincent Gray thinks that the controversy surrounding the Redskins' nickname "isn't going away," and that team Owner Daniel Snyder should "just save himself some grief and change the name already," according to Mike DeBonis of the WASHINGTON POST. Gray yesterday said changing the team name "would be the way to end a controversy that is probably going to needlessly escalate in the future." He added that it would be "impossible for the team to return its home stadium to the federally owned RFK site" if the Redskins do not change their name. Gray: "It's likely to be a huge issue. I happen to be one who would love to see the team back in the District of Columbia. I wish it would never had left in the first place, and frankly if the name is the impediment to bringing the team back then, yes, the name should be changed." Meanwhile, Gray said of the DC Council this week passing a resolution calling on the team to change the name, "We can’t change the name, OK? But if the intent of the resolution was to urge the owner to change the name of the team ... I would have voted for it" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/6).
