National | Sports

Oneida Nation urges discipline for Washington NFL team owner

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The Oneida Nation of New York called on the NFL to discipline Dan Snyder for his continued use of a racial slur as his team's name.

The tribe praised the NBA for taking action against Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. Sterling was banned for life and ordered to pay a $2.5 million fine for making racist comments.

“In banning Clippers owner Donald Sterling, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and other NBA team owners have taken a courageous stand against racism in professional sports, acknowledging that professional leagues cannot be a platform to promote bigotry,” Oneida Indian Representative Ray Halbritter said in a statement. “In taking such appropriate disciplinary action, the NBA has shown leagues like the NFL that they have a moral responsibility to take disciplinary action against people like Dan Snyder, who also continues to proudly promote bigotry with the use of a dictionary-defined racial slur as his team's name.”

The tribe is leading the Change the Mascot campaign.

Get the Story:
Oneida Nation Puts Pressure On Redskins Owner Dan Snyder After Sterling Ban (NESN 4/29)
Will Sterling lifetime ban push Redskins issue to critical mass? (NBC Sports 4/29)
Specter of racism still haunts US sports (Agence France-Presse 4/29)