Trump slams Washington Redskins as
team re-evaluates name
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 [July 07, 2020]
By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President
Donald Trump criticized the Washington Redskins for reviewing their
team name on Monday, as top retailers continued to pull the NFL
franchise's merchandise from shelves.
Under mounting pressure from sponsors and racial justice advocates,
Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder said on Friday the team would
rethink its controversial name, with Major League Baseball's
Cleveland Indians following suit.
"They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the
Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports
franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in
order to be politically correct," Trump said in a tweet.
The Redskins, one of the oldest NFL franchises dating back to the
1930s, have long resisted calls for a new name and logo. The term
"Redskins" is widely seen as a slur against Native Americans.
The Cleveland Indians, which are to begin playing in July after the
COVID-19 outbreak put the MLB season on hold, have phased out their
"Chief Wahoo" logo in recent years but retained the use of their
105-year-old nickname.
Trump has previously voiced support for the Redskins team name and
in 2013 hit at then-Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama, who said
he would "think about changing" the name.
Controversy over the team's name resurfaced in recent weeks amid
widespread racial and social justice protests across the United
States after the death of George Floyd in police custody.
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Washington Redskins football shirts and a team flag on sale at a
sporting goods store in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, U.S., June
24, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Top sponsors, including PepsiCo and FedEx Corp, which has the naming
rights to the NFL team's Landover, Maryland, stadium, called for a
change last week, while retailer Nike said it welcomed the team's
decision to review the name
On Monday, all Washington Redskins merchandise was gone from the
Nike online store and was no longer being sold by the retailer.
A Target spokesman told Reuters on Monday that it began the process
of removing Washington Redskins merchandise from its shelves and
online store over the weekend.
Walmart said on Friday that it would discontinue the sale of
products bearing the team name or logo.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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