DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said during a radio show that the Washington Redskins football team should have changed their name and returned to the District with a new name.
“I think it’s past time for the team to deal with what offends so many people and this is a great franchise with a great history that’s beloved in Washington,” Bowser said while speaking on the Doc & Galdi show on The Team 980. “And it deserves a name that reflects the affection that we’ve built for the team.”
“Redskin” is known as a contemptuous term used to refer to a North American Indian in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Bowser added that the team’s current name makes it difficult for the city to get a new stadium built near the Capitol, as well as it being a derogatory term.
“It’s an obstacle for us locally but is also an obstacle for the federal government who leases the land to us,” the mayor said.
With respect to bringing the team back to the District, Bowser said the city has the best location for a new stadium that will replace RFK Stadium.
DC previously attempted to return the team to the city which never came to fruition. The DC Council voted two times, calling for the team to change its name.
The team owner’s Dan Snyder recently received another criticism from US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when the Redskins shared a tweet on June 2 under the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday, a national campaign against racism.
“Want to really stand for racial justice? Change your name,” Ocasio-Cortez promptly wrote.