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Washington football team owner Dan Snyder says he "understands" the issues facing Indian Country but his racist mascot isn't one of them.

Snyder has owned the NFL team since May 1999. After facing years of criticism over the use of the name, he visited some reservations over the winter and started the Original Americans Foundation to address what he believes are the needs in Indian Country.

“We understand the issues out there, and we’re not an issue,” Snyder told the Associated Press. “The real issues are real-life issues, real-life needs, and I think it’s time that people focus on reality.”

Snyder claims the name honors Native Americans despite opposition from nearly every major Indian and inter-tribal organization.

Get the Story:
Redskins’ Snyder says team name is ‘not an issue’ (AP 4/22)
Notah Begay blasts Redskins owner Daniel Snyder’s new charity as a PR ‘gimmick’ (SB Nation 4/23)

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