At some point in the not-so-distant future, there's a pretty good chance that the Washington Redskins are going to be forced to change their team name. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder does not want to do it—and has said so on many different occasions—but there are lots of people out there calling for a change right now. So we wouldn't be surprised at all if, at some point, the NFL steps in and makes the Redskins adopt a new team name.
Legendary NFL player/coach Mike Ditka doesn't get it, though. He did an interview with RedskinsHistorian.com recently and admitted that he doesn't know why there's so much debate over the Redskins name. He also said that he's all for the Redskins remaining the Redskins from here on out.
"What's all the stink over the Redskin name?" Ditka said. "It's so much [expletive] it's incredible. We're going to let the liberals of the world run this world. It was said out of reverence, out of pride to the American Indian. Even though it was called a Redskin, what are you going to call them, a Brownskin? [Ed. Note—Uh...NO.] This is so stupid, it's appalling, and I hope the owner [Daniel Snyder] keeps fighting for it and never changes it, because the Redskins are part of an American football history, and it should never be anything but the Washington Redskins. That's the way it is."
Ditka also went on to say that he admires Snyder for putting up the fight that he has put up in recent years.
"I admire him for it," he said. "Really, I think it's tradition, it's history, it's part of the National Football League. It was about Sammy Baugh and all the guys who were Redskins way back then. I didn't think that [Vince] Lombardi and [George] Halas never had a problem with it. Why would all these other idiots have a problem with the name? I'm sorry. I'm not very tolerant when it comes to the liberals who complain about everything."
Ditka is certainly entitled to his opinion. And just as there are lots of people out there who want the Redskins to change their name, there are also quite a few people who agree with Ditka's position. Just look at some of these tweets that we've come across this morning:
But some of the comments Ditka made to RedskinsHistorian.com are not sitting well with people. Here are some tweets from people who do not agree with what Ditka had to say:
ESPN's Keith Olbermann also touched on Ditka's comments on the Redskins on his show last night. Watch what he had to say—and listen to some of Ditka's comments—here:
What do you think about what Ditka said about the Redskins name? Regardless of where you stand, it's pretty clear that the debate over the name is going to get even more intense than it already is in the coming months.
[via Washington Post]
