Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), the outgoing chairwoman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), a member of the Chickasaw Nation, are urging the NFL to take a position against the racist Washington mascot.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has repeatedly said the organization will listen to the concerns of Indian activists, tribal organizations and tribal leaders. But he has declined to take a position on a name that Cantwell and Cole say is clearly offensive.

“The NFL can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur,” Cantwell and Cole wrote in a letter to Goodell. “It is clear that you haven’t heard the leading voices of this country — and not just Indian Country."

"Virtually every major civil rights organization in America has spoken out in opposition to this name including the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, the Rainbow Coalition and the League of United Latin American Citizens," the lawmakers said.

Cantwell and Cole also noted that the NFL is registered as a tax-exempt entity. "It is not appropriate for this multibillion dollar 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization to perpetuate and profit from the continued degradation of tribes and Indian people," they wrote.

Get the Story:
NFL faces pressure from Congress to change Redskins’ name (The Washington Post 2/9)
Lawmakers Press N.F.L. on Name Change for Washington Redskins (The Washington Post 2/10)
Lawmakers warn NFL about Redskins (AP 2/10)
Lawmakers: 'Redskins' is insulting (Politico 2/10)

Related Stories:
NCAI ad urges Washington team to eliminate racist mascot (02/03)
ThinkProgress: Team brings in big guns to save racist mascot (01/31)
Oneida Nation leader meets UN official over racist mascot (01/24)