The Washington Redskins think the United Nations should be focusing on larger global problems than meeting with the Oneida Indian Nation about its efforts to get the team to change their name.
“Given all the wars around the world, starvation, famine, and the nuclear proliferation problems the U.N. is dealing with, surely they have more important things to worry about than a football’s team name that is supported by the vast majority of the American people,” a team spokesman told USA Today.
The tribe will meet with the U.N.’s assistant secretary-general for human rights, Ivan Šimonović.
“I am both humbled and heartened by the opportunity to have a dialogue with the U.N. regarding the important moral, human, and civil-rights issues raised by the Washington NFL team’s continued use of the R-word racial slur,” said Ray Halbritter, a representative with the tribe.
Even though the international organization has no official authority over the team or the NFL, Profootballtalk.com’s Mike Florio believes a condemnation of the name by the U.N. could further pressure the team to drop the name.