For years, Dan Snyder faced scrutiny for keeping the Redskins as the nickname of his team as he finally succumbed to pressure to change it before he ultimately sold the team.
Now, the Commanders are back in hot water from a Native American group who are mad that the team dropped the Redskins name.
The NAGA – Native American Guardians Association – has filed a lawsuit against the Commanders as they claim defamation as well as a request to restore the team’s previous nickname and logo.
The Native American Guardians Association names the Commanders, owner Josh Harris, employee Matthew Laux, and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) as defendants. The suit accuses the NFL team of defamation, after Laux reportedly called the NAGA a fake group, as well as conspiracy surrounding an online petition with more than 100,000 signatures calling for the team to go back to the old name.
That online petition says the new name is not best for the team.
“It lacks the uniqueness, emotional connection, and pride that our team’s original name embodies,” the petition reads. “The change to ‘Commanders’ dilutes our team’s identity and weakens the connection with its devoted fanbase.”
“Commanders is a fitting name for oppressors,” the suit stated.
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“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 Redskins were, it adds, “the only team in the National Football League (NFL) to honor an actual Native American.”
The franchise adopted the name Redskins in 1933 and then in 1972, the team logo would be a portrait of celebrated late Blackfoot Chief John Two Guns White Calf. The Washington franchise in 2020, under then-owner Dan Snyder, bowed to public pressure and canceled the Redskins name and its portrait logo of White Calf.
The lawsuit seeks over $1 million in damages from team ownership and “a seat at the table to share Native American history.”
