If Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder sought to close the book on the possibility of changing the team's nickname, he got a huge assist from the NFL commissioner on Friday.
During his "State of the NFL Address," Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday responded to a question from USA TODAY Sports about the increased publicity over whether the Washington franchise should change its name.
"I spent the last year talking to many of the leaders of the Native American community," Goodell said. "We are listening and we are trying to make sure we understand the issues.
"But let me remind you: This is the name of a football team, a football team that has had that name for 80 years. That has presented the name in a way that is honorable to Native Americans. We recognize that many don't agree with the name. And we respect that.
"But if you look at the numbers, including the Native American communities, the Native American community poll, nine out of 10 prefer the name - eight of 10 Americans in the general population would not like us to change the name. So we are listening and being respectful to people who disagree."
The Oneida Indian Nation has led the fight to get the team to find another nickname - to no avail. In October, its leaders met with NFL officials, but that meeting did not include Goodell or Snyder. NFL officials used the same rationale in that meeting with the tribal leaders as Goodell during Friday's address, Oneida representative Ray Halbritter said, according to USA TODAY Sports.
Halbritter expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to speak with NFL executives, USA TODAY Sports reported, but was "disappointed, to say it mildly" that the NFL "continued to defend the use of a slur."
Goodell's comments may be the first step in making sure that the controversy over the Redskins name starts to dissipate.
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