Washington Redskins Hall of Famers Art Monk and Darrell Green suggested the team should consider changing its name. Monk and Green's comments come a month after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and several Native American chiefs defended the moniker.
Monk and Green discussed the name change on Tuesday to WTOP Radio in Washington (via ESPN).
"[If] Native Americans feel like Redskins or the Chiefs or [another] name is offensive to them, then who are we to say to them 'No, it's not'?" Monk said.
Green agreed.
"It deserves and warrants conversation because somebody is saying, 'Hey, this offends me,'" Green said.
Amidst the controversy and trademark lawsuit, Redskins owner Dan Snyder has been adamant about not changing the name.
"We'll never change the name," he told USA Today Sports in May. "It's that simple. NEVER - you can use caps."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded to a congressional petition last month and defended the Redskins name.
"The Washington Redskins name has thus from its origin represented a positive meaning distinct from any disparagement that could be viewed in some other context," Goodell wrote. "For the team's millions of fans and customers, who represent one of America's most ethnically and geographically diverse fan bases, the name is a unifying force that stands for strength, courage, pride and respect."
Goodell then cited two polls, which found only about 10 percent of Native Americans and the general public considered the name offensive. He also attached remarks from two Native American chiefs, who said it's only a small number of Native Americans offended by the name.
"People are speaking for Native Americans that aren't Native American," American Inuit chief Steven Dodson wrote. "Being a full-blooded Indian with my whole family behind me, we had a big problem with all the things that were coming out [of the discussion]. ... They were misrepresenting the Native American nation.
"We don't have a problem with [the name] at all; in fact we're honored. We're quite honored."
You can view Goodell's full letter and the Native American chiefs' remarks HERE.
