The debate over the "Redskins" name took an unusual turn on Sunday when one of Washington's players said the NFL was using the name against the team during games.
Washington defensive end Jason Hatcher accused officials of intentionally making calls against the Redskins all season because of their controversial name, The Washington Post reported.
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What set off Hatcher was a key play during the Redskins' 44-16 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
With the scored tied at 14 midway through the second quarter, Redskins cornerback Chris Culliver appeared to make a momentum-changing play when he dislodge a ball from Carolina tight end Greg Olsen, caught it in midair and returned it 75 yards for an apparent scored.
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Culliver, however, was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet blow, which gave the Panthers the ball back, plus a new set of downs. They went on to score six plays later and finished the game outscoring Washington, 30-2.
The entire Redskins team was livid, the Post reported, and Hatcher took it upon himself to call out the NFL.
Hatcher was asked after the game why Washington couldn't bounce back from the momentum swing.
"I'm not sure man. We've just got to check ourselves," he said, according to The Post. "Everybody got to look theirselves in the mirror. This is a team sport, and we lost as a team. Everybody got to get they self together, get mentally and physically tougher so we can go in here and win. It's going to be hard, you know, we fighting against teams and the referees. It just is what it is.
"I'm not saying this out of character to get fined, but it is what it is. I don't know if it's about the name or what, but at the same time, we play football too. We work our butt off too. Don't single us out. At the end of the day, it's the name. Don't worry about the name -- we players and we work our butt off too. I'm just frustrated with it. We shouldn't have to be punished for that. It's been every game, calls after calls that should've been made in our favor, but it goes to them. It's just not right. We in the league too. We're National Football players. We got a team too. We go out there, and we sweat and work hard too. I don't give a crap about the name. We are players. We've got feelings too, and we want to win too."
It's an interesting take, but it has a few holes.
First, the Redskins are the third-least penalized team in the NFL, according to teamrankings.com. It could be that refs are looking the other way when opponents are committing fouls, but that makes Hatcher's argument weaker.
Second, another Post article reported that Redskins media lost their minds over the call, but no one brought up the name.
Third, former NFL vice president of officiating and current Fox Sports rules analyst said, the officials on the field made the right call, and the Redskins should be mad at the rule, not the game referees.
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