Former Washington Pro Bowler now opposes team’s name
A decisive new Washington Post poll released Thursday indicated that an overwhelming percentage of Native Americans do not have a problem with the use of the name “Redskins” to identify an NFL team. Critics of the poll have challenged its methodology and phrasing, but what’s undeniable is that, for whatever reason, a significant majority of Native Americans are not pushing for a name change.
However, a significant majority is not unanimous, and a former Washington Pro Bowl offensive lineman is arguing that the minority’s voice still has merit. Tre Johnson, who played for the team from 1994 to 2002, has reaffirmed his opposition to the name. Johnson, one of several former Washington players to oppose the name, is now a high school history teacher.
Yes, this is a convenient stance for Johnson to take now that he’s no longer taking a paycheck from the team. He owns that, noting that he didn’t think much about the name until after his retirement, when he was approached by the National Congress of American Indians. “I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right, if it’s something you find offensive,’ ” Johnson told the Washington Post. “I read a little bit more about it. And I was a culprit, as well. I was not as in tune culturally as a younger guy as I am now.”
It’s an effective reply to the common refrain that many who oppose change chant to the heavens: “It’s always been this way, why’s this a problem NOW?” The answer, of course, is that attitudes and beliefs evolve, sometimes slowly, and sometimes all at once. Washington’s team officials and team supporters are already pointing to the poll as justification for keeping the name ad infinitum, but Johnson cautions against disregarding the voices of the minority:
“It all comes down to whether this is a majority-wins issue,” Johnson said. “Do we care about everybody? Or do we care about most people? Do we only care about the majority and the majority culture? This has been an argument of minorities for some time.”
A significant percentage of Native Americans surveyed in the poll indicated that an NFL team name was the least of their concerns, and certainly both the NFL and Native Americans have more pressing issues to consider than a team name. But as Johnson’s words indicate, the issue’s not going away, no matter how much the name’s supporters hope it will.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
