WASHINGTON — A U.S. senator threatened the NFL with legislation over the Redskins nickname, a letter was dispatched to the other 31 team owners, and the issue was linked to the league’s other recent troubles Tuesday.
In a news conference that featured American Indian, civil rights and religious leaders, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., took aim at the NFL’s pocketbook by announcing she will introduce a bill to strip the league’s tax-exempt status because it has not taken action over the Redskins name.
“The NFL needs to join the rest of America in the 21st Century,” said Cantwell, the former chairwoman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. “We can no longer tolerate this attitude toward Native Americans. This is not about team tradition. This is about right and wrong.”
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has said that the Redskins name and logo is meant to honor American Indians.
