The National Football League (NFL) said it will get around to meeting with the Indian tribe that is working to permanently change the name of Washington's football team, Philly.com reported.
While league owners gathered in Washington for meetings on Monday, the Oneida Indian Nation held a press conference and symposium in Georgetown to discuss their "Change the Mascot" campaign. which tribe representative Ray Halbritter said NFL leaders were invited to.
"The Oneida Nation has a vested interest in the league being a unifying force in communities throughout America," Halbritter said at the conference. "This name is not a unifying force. It is a divisive epithet."
However, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said a meeting had been scheduled with the tribe in a month and could happen sooner, although the topic was not on the list of matters to discuss at Monday's meetings.
"We respect that people have differing views," McCarthy said. "It is important that we listen to all perspectives."
Redskins owner Dan Snyder previously stated he refused to change the mascot and an AP-GfK poll from April showed 4 in 5 Americans don't think they should change the name either.
Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Snyder, emphasized the poll numbers in a telephone interview.
"The Washington Redskins support people's feelings, but the overwhelming data is that Native Americans are not offended and only a small minority are," Davis said.
Oneida Indian Nation announced their advertisement campaign protesting the mascot in September, which began with radio ads and directed much of their efforts toward NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to "stand up to bigotry."
"We believe that with the help of our fellow professional football fans, we can get the NFL to realize the error of its ways and make a very simple change," Halbritter said.
