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The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker

The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker

Two seasoned veteran reporters collide as FSR hosts and FS1 analysts Chris Broussard and Rob Parker partner to provide listeners a credible and...Full Bio

 

The Washington 'Redskins' Name is Long Overdue For a Change

A Native American group is pushing for the Washington Redskins players to sit out this NFL season and speak out against the team’s name that is considered to be racist and offensive.

The president of the National Congress of American Indians, Fawn Sharp, sent out a letter denouncing the name, comparing it to a confederate statue in the middle of the locker room. Sharp makes the case that the organization is stubborn and unwilling to make the change saying:

As the President of the National Congress of American Indians, elected to represent over 500 Native American Tribal Nations on the global stage, I am often asked what my opinion is about the Washington, DC, NFL franchise, but I have held back for the right moment.
That moment is now.
The racial slur can no longer be removed by the complicit, indifferent, tone-deaf ownership of the franchise, because the stain they have fixed onto their own name and enterprises is now permanent.
It is an insult that can no longer be retracted, a sin that can no longer be erased.
Since it’s too late to give the team name up, it’s time for it to be taken.
It’s time for the players to rip down that name like it was a statue of a Confederate general in their locker room.
I am calling for members of the NFL franchise in Washington, DC, to rise to the occasion and become heroes. All I ask is that you state the unequivocal moral truth: just as you would never play for the Washington [insert any other racial slur], you will no longer play for any team branded with a racial slur against Native Americans.

Chris Broussard & Rob Parker are completely on board with Sharp's sentiments:

Rob Parker: "What she said is right on the money. You all know what's going on in this country. God Bless Native Americans; They see what's going on. They see that 'Uncle Ben' and 'Aunt Jemima' are out of work. They see that 'The Last Sambo' restaurant's name has been changed. Why shouldn't Native Americans want to get involved, it's time. The NFL's $250 million is nice. Are they 'woke' now? We all know that name is offensive. I don't even like saying it. News organizations around this country have banned the use of it...enough already."

Chris Broussard: "The players won't miss a game. And the only way they'll miss a practice is because the powers that be will want to wait and see if the players mean business. Once the players show they mean business, it will be changed yesterday. If this term is offensive to Native Americans, then it must go. And if you're really against racism, then it's not just racism against African Americans, it's racism against Native Americans as well."

Hear the full audio below:

The Washington 'Redskins' Name is Long Overdue For a Change