Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington professional football team, is defending the franchise amid mounting pressure to eliminate the racist name.

In a letter to fans, Snyder said the team got its name in 1933 when it was based in Boston, Massachusetts. "On that inaugural Redskins team, four players and our Head Coach were Native Americans," he writes.

The head coach at the time was William Henry Dietz, whose claim to Indian ancestry was debunked by Indian Country Today.

The team later moved to Washington, where its owners refused to allow African-American players until being forced to do so by the Kennedy administration in 1961. George Allen came on board as head coach in 1971 and Snyder claims a new logo was drawn that year in consultation with the "Red Cloud Athletic Fund located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation."

The foundation, however, did not exist until it was created by Allen and it was based in Illinois, not on the reservation, according to GuideStar, a non-profit tracker.

Snyder also claims the "highly respected" Annenberg Public Policy Center asked Native Americans about the mascot and found little opposition. The poll, however, did not verify whether any of the 1,000 respondents -- a small sample of the Native American population -- were actually American Indian or Alaska Native.

Finally, Snyder says the leaders of three state-recognized tribes in Virginia don't have a problem with the name. But most major tribal organizations -- including the National Congress of American Indians, whose membership includes state- and federally-recognized tribes -- oppose the mascot and Indian mascots in general.

"I respect the opinions of those who disagree. I want them to know that I do hear them, and I will continue to listen and learn," Snyder wrote in the letter. "But we cannot ignore our 81 year history, or the strong feelings of most of our fans as well as Native Americans throughout the country. After 81 years, the team name 'Redskins' continues to hold the memories and meaning of where we came from, who we are, and who we want to be in the years to come."

Get the Story:
Snyder defends Redskins name in emotional letter to fans (The Washington Post 10/10)
Redskins lawyer says ‘put it in caps’ language will change (The Washington Post 10/9)
Owner wants those opposed to ‘Redskins’ to ‘try to respect’ what it means to team, fans (AP 10/9)

An Opinion:
Linell Broecker: A Native American mascot is an honor (The Washington Post 10/10)

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