Univ. of Minnesota Attempting to Ban Use of ‘Redskins' During Nov. 2 Visit

In Week 9 of the NFL season, the Vikings will host the Redskins in an afternoon game at the University of Minnesota, where the Vikings will play their home games this season while they await the construction of a new stadium.

Meanwhile, the university's president, Eric W. Kaler, is "working with the Vikings to make every effort to eliminate the use of Washington’s team name in promotional and game date materials and public address announcements" during the Nov. 2 game.

That was shared in a letter from Kaler to Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) last week.

McCollum wrote a letter to Vikings owner Zygi Wilf in June urging him to take a stand against "that hateful slur" shortly after the U.S. Patent and Trademark office canceled the Redskins’ trademark registration. Kaler was copied on McCollum's letter. 

The Vikings, however, have not made any concrete decisions regarding the issue, though they have met with school officials once and plan to do so again at some point before the game.

“We take the issue very seriously, but we’re just getting ready for our season and we’ve been very focused on training camp and the preseason, and to be honest, we don’t have a game plan for our Nov. 2 game versus Washington,” Vikings executive vice president of public affairs Lester Bagley said.

Kaler wrote that the Redskins name is "offensive and should be replaced." As expected, the Redskins themselves disagree with the school's effort to ban the usage of the name.

“We have met many native Americans from Minnesota who agree with our position and feel we are using the term correctly and honorably, ” spokesman Tony Wyllie said. 


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