Amazon removes Washington Redskins merchandise from website

[July 09, 2020]    (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> is pulling Washington Redskins merchandise from its website, with sellers given 48 hours to review and remove any products flagged by the e-commerce giant, according to a note sent to sellers by the company.

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

An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the move by the company.

Under mounting pressure from sponsors and Native American rights groups, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder said last week he would consider changing the name of the National Football League team whose roots date back to the 1930s.

Controversy over the team's name, which is widely seen as a racial slur against Native Americans, resurfaced in recent weeks amid widespread racial and social justice protests across the United States after the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Amazon's action follows that of other retailers such as Walmart Inc <WMT.N>, Target Corp <TGT.N> and Nike Inc <NKE.N>.

Top sponsors, including PepsiCo Inc <PEP.O> and FedEx Corp <FDX.N>, who have the naming rights to the NFL team's Landover, Maryland, stadium, called for a change last week.

(Reporting by Shanti S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

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