Phil Jackson throws his support behind the thousands protesting the Washington’s NFL team’s nickname
In case you missed it while scrubbing caked zombie makeup off of your face following a Halloween party gone wrong, thousands of protesters gathered at the University of Minnesota on Sunday to protest a visit from Washington’s NFL team, who were in town to play the Minnesota Vikings. Estimates of the crowd of protesters ranged from 3,500 to 5,000, out in strong force to demand that Washington’s pro football team – whose nickname is a racial slur long used to denigrate Native Americans – change their name to something less execrable.
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson, a North Dakota native who has long been an admirer of Native American culture and spirituality, sent out a bit of support on his own in 140 characters or less:
The “Snider” in question is Washington owner Daniel Snyder, who has cobbled together a 109-147 record as the team’s owner (including four playoff trips) since 1999, and has adamantly refused to change his team’s name despite this being the year 2014.
One Washington fan, SB Nation’s Chris Mottram, seems to have the best solution yet:
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
