Native American Group Sues Washington Commanders, Wants 'Redskins' Name Back
It appears not all Native Americans were unhappy with the Washington Redskins nickname.
A Native American group filed a federal lawsuit against the Washington Commanders Monday for defamation, civil conspiracy and civil rights violations for their role in suppressing Native American history.
The Native American Guardians Association (NAGA — not to be confused with the folks in red hats) led an online petition this summer demanding that the organization reclaim its original "Redskins" moniker. The petition garnered 150,000 signatures.
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The group is looking for $1.6 million in damages and "a seat at the table to share Native American history," NAGA's attorney Chad LaVeglia told Fox News.
"Commanders is a fitting name for oppressors," the suit stated.
The complaint also lists the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). The NCAI was instrumental in forcing the then-Washington Redskins to change their name. But NAGA claims the NCAI contributes to a legacy of cultural oppression suffered by indigenous people.
"The name 'Redskins' carries deep cultural, historical, and emotional significance, honoring the bravery, resilience, and warrior spirit associated with Native American culture," the NAGA complaint states.
The suit adds: The Redskins were "the only team in the National Football League (NFL) to honor an actual Native American."
And that's true.
The franchise adopted the name "Redskins" in 1933 and, since 1972, the team logo was a portrait of Blackfoot Chief John Two Guns White Calf.
"The logo on the Redskins helmet is an actual person. It's Chief White Calf," LaVeglia said. "Every time they go out on that field, they were honoring Chief White Calf and they were battling on the football field with the same honor and integrity and courage. They should continue to honor that."
Redskins Name Honors Heritage, Lawsuit Says
The logo was designed by Blackfoot tribal leader Walter "Blackie" Wetzel (who was actually president of the NCAI from 1961 to 1964) with input and support from Native American communities.
And the team's original name and logo were inspired by 17th-century Lenni Lenape Chief Tammany.
So in 2020, NAGA claims, the franchise didn't just cancel the Redskins name. It also canceled the legacy of the people who inspired it. And NCAI is to thank for that.
The NCAI, by the way, is funded by federal taxpayer dollars and also receives funding from George Soros' Open Society Foundations.
(Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"NCAI is on a mission to eradicate Native American history. The more teams that ignorantly bend, the more power NCAI retains," NAGA claims.
"The powerful few, do not get to have a monopoly on the narrative. They cannot eradicate Native American history from the hearts and minds of Americans."
But the suit doesn't just name NCAI. It also calls out new Commanders owner Josh Harris.
"Mr. Harris' money and power rival the European countries that laid claim to this land hundreds of years ago. Like the men who conquered Native Americans, Josh Harris is erasing their history," LaVeglia wrote.
"This lawsuit is a f-ck you to the NCAI and a f-ck you to the Commanders and to cancel culture."
How 'bout that? Maybe the name wasn't racist — maybe changing the name was racist.