NFL commissioner won't do anything about team's racist mascot

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't plan on doing anything about the Washington team's racist mascot even as others in sports take action on the issue.

Goodell appeared on ESPN Radio’s “Golic & Wingo” show on Tuesday and said Native people aren't offended by the team's name and logo. He cited a Washington Post poll that did not directly ask respondents whether they wanted to see the mascot eliminated.

"The focus that we’ve had is, ‘In any way is this insulting to the Native Americans?’ and I think that poll is overwhelmingly positive that they don’t," Goodell said on the program, according to The Post.

Goodell also said team owner Dan Snyder has "really worked in the Native American community to understand better their perspective." Snyder has refused to concede the name is offensive even though it is opposed by nearly every major inter-tribal and Indian organization in the United States. Dozens of tribes also oppose the name.

Amid the criticism, Snyder established the Original Americans Foundation in 2015 to provide grants in Indian Country. Tribes and organizations accepted $5.3 million for a wide variety of projects during the first two years of the operation, The Post reported in 2017. More recent figures haven't been publicly disclosed.

The foundation also hasn't disclosed its leadership board, hasn't outlined its donation guidelines and hasn't taken other steps normally associated with a charitable organization. Snyder appears to be the sole donor to the effort, The Post reported.

Read More on the Story:
Roger Goodell’s opinion of Redskins’ name unchanged after Chief Wahoo decision (The Washington Post January 30, 2018)
Cleveland Indians’ removal of Chief Wahoo reignites debate over controversial nicknames (The Washington Post January 29, 2018)

More on 'Chief Wahoo':
Removal of Indians’ ‘racist’ logo one step forward for Natives (The Santa Fe New Mexican January 29, 2018)
Native Americans: Benching Wahoo step in right direction (The Associated Press January 30, 2018)
Chief Wahoo — to the chagrin of many Tribe fans — had to go (Crain's Cleveland January 30, 2018)
Opinion by Bert Stratton: Good Riddance to Chief Wahoo (The New York Times January 30, 2018)