Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder received a letter from members of Congress urging him to change the name of his team, according to the Washington Post.
Joining Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, congressman for the American Samoa, in the effort were fellow representatives and co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus: Tom Cole (Oklahoma) and Betty McCollum (Minnesota) as well as Raul M. Grijalva (Arizona), Gwen Moore (Wisconsin), Michael M. Honda (California), Donna M. Christensen (Virginia Islands), Zoe Lofgren and Barbara Lee (both of California) and Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District.
In their letter to the Redskins' owner, representatives stated "Native Americans throughout the country consider the 'R-word' a racial, derogatory slur akin to the 'N-word' among African Americans or the 'W-word' among Latinos.
"Such offensive epithets would no doubt draw wide-spread disapproval among the NFL's fan base. Yet the national coverage of Washington's NFL football team profits from a term that is equally disparaging to Native Americans."
Later in the letter, the members of Congress said, "In this day and age, it is imperative that you uphold your moral responsibility to disavow the usage of racial slurs. The usage of the ["R-word"] is especially harmful to Native American youth, tending to lower their sense of dignity and self-esteem. It also diminishes feelings of community worth among the Native American tribes and dampens the aspirations of their people."
A Redskins' spokesman said the team has no comment on the letter.
According to ESPN, the nickname has been the subject of a long-running legal challenge from a group seeking to have the team lose its trademark protection.
Team officials disagree with the notion that their team's name is offensive.
"I think it's a non-issue and it's been a non-issue for decades," General Manager Bruce Allen told reporters last week in Richmond. "We really don't get the talk that other people get because we hear from our fans. And our fans will always be our fans of the Washington Redskins."
Snyder has publicly vowed to never change the name.
