Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder yesterday said the team's efforts to provide aid to Native American tribes is "not PR" and the franchise has a "great legacy (and) honors and respects people." Appearing on DC-based WTEM-AM's "The Drive with Cooley & Czabe," Snyder addressed several issues related to the controversy around the team's nickname. The Redskins have launched the Original Americans Foundation to work with tribes across the country, and Snyder said, "I would just encourage people -- the politicians that have fun with our football team’s name -- I would encourage them to actually go out there and learn and listen to really what’s happening in Indian country so that they could help Indian country. This is not PR, we don’t have PR people doing this stuff. This is really genuine, and from that standpoint, just like our foundation here locally, it’s 16 years running that we’ve been doing this. ... It’s something that I think that in five years, in 10 years, in 15 years, in 20 years, we’ll be very proud of.” WTEM co-host and former Redskins TE Chris Cooley, who also is part of the steering committee for the team-launched RedskinsFacts.com, noted Snyder has gone out and talked "to a lot of Native Americans" in the last year. Snyder: "What I listened and learned is really that they love this team. They actually have a tremendous amount of fans on reservations, not only for our team, but many teams that have Native American imagery -- the Atlanta Braves, the Kansas City Chiefs, the (Chicago) Blackhawks. And they really are proud of these teams. I think that I learned more of the truth. What I did see that got me and touched me ... is the plight of Native Americans" (“The Drive with Cooley & Czabe,” WTEM-AM, 8/4).
CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN: In DC, Dan Steinberg noted Snyder on Saturday bought four T-shirts being sold near the team's Richmond training camp that contained the phrase "Keep the Name." Snyder told Sean Labar and Shelby Myers, who were selling the $15 shirts, "Love the shirts, guys, love what you're doing." Steinberg noted a few minutes after Snyder left, his "security detail returned, purchasing six more of the T-shirts." More than 70 shirts were sold Saturday, though "no one bought more" than Snyder. Labar and Myers started marketing the shirts a "few weeks ago amid continuing debate about the Redskins name" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 8/3).
TIME FOR A CHANGE: In Boston, Christopher Gasper argues the Redskins should change their name, writing, "Altering a football team's name is not going to rectify or erase the history of abhorrent treatment of Native Americans in this country. But keeping it is just one more indignity aimed at a people who have suffered far too many from folks in Washington." Gasper admits there is a "line of PC overload." He also wonders if Greeks "take offense to the Michigan State Spartans" or whether Irish descendants "resent the stereotypical representations of their culture showcased by Notre Dame or the Celtics." But Gasper writes, "Redskins crosses any line and then spikes the ball in your face" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/5).
