USA TODAY Sports - Critics of Redskins Name Attack NFL on Profits, Abuse

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By Erik Brady

The NFL believes that profits are more important than people, including victims of domestic violence, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) charged Tuesday at a Capitol Hill news conference on the continuing controversy over Washington's NFL team name.

"For years, the NFL denied that playing football was the cause of debilitating brain injuries among scores of former players," McCollum said. "For far too long, violence against women committed by NFL players was dismissed or minimized by the league. This same denial is seen when the NFL and team owners continue to support the use of a racial slur that is degrading and dehumanizing to Native Americans."

Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter also cited controversies over NFL player conduct and the league's allegedly tepid response to it. "The NFL is now facing an integrity crisis," he said. Even if issues of domestic violence and player health differ from the team name issue, Halbritter said, "they are joined by the common thread of showing commercial and moral arrogance, and a blatant lack of respect for those being negatively impacted."

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced plans to introduce legislation to eliminate the NFL's tax-exempt status. "This is not about team tradition," she said, "this is about right and wrong." Cantwell, a former chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said her bill would be narrowly drawn and tied to the Washington team name. Other recent legislative bids to challenge favorable NFL tax arrangements have failed to gain traction.

"Our position remains consistent with more than 80% of Americans who do not want to change the Washington Redskins name," team spokesman Tony Wyllie said by email in reference to Cantwell's plans for legislation. He did not immediately respond to McCollum's remarks.

McCollum, Halbritter and Cantwell were among speakers who delivered remarks at an hour-long news conference where they were surrounded by leaders of Native American tribes, social justice groups and clergy. National Congress of American Indians president Brian Cladoosby said the name issue is "critical to every other issue our tribal nations face today."

McCollum, Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, called the team name a form of hate speech.

"It is clear from their actions and disturbing pattern of denial that the NFL values profits over people," McCollum said. "NFL profits are more important than the health and wellbeing of former NFL players. NFL profits are more important than the wives, girlfriends, and partners of NFL players who have been beaten and abused. And profit sharing by NFL team owners from a vile racial slur that demeans, dehumanizes, and degrades millions of our fellow citizens is more important than standing with Native Americans who are demanding the respect and dignity they deserve."

The Change the Mascot coalition announced that it was sending letters, dated Tuesday, to 31 other NFL owners calling on them to force Washington owner Daniel Snyder to change the name of his team. The letter says owners are empowered under NFL bylaws to punish those who are "guilty of conduct detrimental" to the game.

"Put simply," the letter says, "Mr. Snyder is jeopardizing the welfare of the league by promoting an epithet against people of color."

"We respectfully disagree," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said by email. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment on McCollum's and Cantwell's remarks.

Snyder's long-held position is that the name is not a slur and that it in fact honors Native Americans. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell supports the name as well. When Snyder announced last spring at an NFL meeting that he was starting a foundation to help economically struggling tribes, his fellow owners applauded.

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