In the latest effort to get the Washington Redskins to change its name, D.C. council member David Grosso, along with co-sponsors, will introduce a non-binding resolution calling for the team to drop its current ”derogatory, racist name” in favor of the the name “Redtails,” the nickname of the Tuskegee Airmen.
According to the Washington Post, the resolution states that “Washington’s name has been dishonored by association with the word ‘Redskins’” and that residents “should not tolerate commercial or other use” of a name that “dishonors any person’s race.” Grosso encourages the team to adopt the “Redtails” because it sounds similar to “Redskins” and would serve as a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen; he added that “you can still keep the feather” in the logo.
Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III appeared to criticize the move on Twitter, writing, “In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness.”
In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 30, 2013
Lawmakers have made several previous attempts to prompt the Redskins to change their name. Most recently, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D., D.C.) introduced a bill in the House to void existing trademarks using the name “Redskins.”
A panel of three federal judges recently heard arguments on whether the franchise’s trademark should be revoked because it is an offensive term. D.C.’s mayor has also said that there must be a discussion about a name change for the team should it want to move from its current Maryland stadium to a new one in the District.