As debate in the Washington, D.C. region continues to rage over the appropriateness of their nickname, the Washington Redskins used their official website to offer a passive statement on the matter.
A Monday news post titled "We Are Very Proud To Be Called Redskins" might seem like the beginning of an impassioned defense by the team. Instead, we learn the headline is actually a quote by George Hemming, the athletic director of Coshocton High School in east central Ohio.
It gets stranger.
The point of the post is clear. The Redskins want to make it clear they're far from the only organized team using a nickname deemed by some people as offensive to Native Americans. The most high-profile? Sure. But they're not alone.
Last Thursday, the Redskinswere specifically targeted at a daylong symposium at the Smithsonian that focused on hurtful names and racial stereotypes. Two days before that, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray purposely referred to the Redskins as "our Washington football team" during his State of the District speech. That came after Gray said the Redskins might struggle to get a stadium built on federal land in D.C. if a name change was not discussed.
This controversy isn't about to go away. Will the Redskins continue to shut out the noise?
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
