Redskins president: Team won't change name for new stadium: Report

Washington Redskins President Bruce Allen made it crystal clear Monday the team would not reconsider whether to change the team’s nickname if it became a political barrier to building a new stadium in the nation’s capital or elsewhere.

The club currently plays at FedEx Field — which opened in Landover, Maryland, in 1997 — and has started exploring sites for a new facility, even though its lease there runs until 2026.

At a news conference before the Redskins' last practice of training camp Monday, Allen said the team has spoken with representatives of Washington, Virginia and Maryland about a spot for a stadium.

“We’ve had great conversations with all the areas, and the design is something that we’ve started on,” Allen said, “but really it is preliminary right now.”

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser in April that the National Park Service — which owns the land where the team’s former home, RFK Stadium, sits in the city — wouldn’t grant a new lease because of objections to the team’s name. Owner Dan Snyder has said he will never change the nickname.

When asked Monday about the possibility of revisiting that policy if the name is a political barrier to a new location for the stadium, Allen quickly gave a one-word answer: “No.”

RFK Stadium sits on land owned by the National Park Service that is leased to the city. The lease expires in 22 years. The city would need an extension to build a new stadium there. Altering the lease would require an act of Congress, and the city could seek Congressional support for a change in the lease without the Park Service’s blessing.

Washington Redskins name ruled not obscene by FCC: Report

The name of the Washington Redskins NFL team will not be considered a profane term when used on radio airwaves, according to the Federal Communications Commission's response to a petition Thursday.

The petition called for a Virginia radio station owned by football team owner Dan Snyder to not have its license renewed due to its repeated use of the word "Redskins." John Banzhaf III, a professor at George Washington University, and others said use of the name during NFL games was objectionable because it’s a “derogatory racial and ethnic slur” against American Indians.

The FCC dismissed the petition, saying that the law defines terms of a sexual or excretory nature as profane and not those that mean a football team and granted a renewal of the license for WWXX(FM) in Buckland, Va.

Banzhaff called the ruling against his petition "no more than round one." 

Last month the team won the right to review a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to cancel the mark as disparaging. Snyder has repeatedly said the name was intended to honor Native Americans and he won’t change it.

The rulings are the latest in a decades-long dispute over a brand estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth $145 million.

Native American groups and politicians have been calling for Washington's team name to be dropped and some media outlets have been deliberately omitting the franchise's name from coverage.

Don't expect this issue to end anytime soon.

'Washington Redskin Potatoes' rejected by Patent Office for being offensive: Report

In a decision that could foreshadow trouble for the Washington Redskins football team,  the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected an application to trademark “Washington Redskin Potatoes,” in part because the name could be seen as derogatory to Native Americans.

By rejecting another product with "Redskin" in the  name, it is a sign that the USPTO might rule against the Washington Redskins in an ongoing trademark case.

The agency said Monday that "Washington Redskin Potatoes" would be considered disparaging because the product doesn't contain redskin potatoes and therefore would be associated with the football team.

The ruling then stated that current evidence reflects that 'a substantial composite of Native American Indians find the current use of "Redskins" in conjunction with football disparaging."

A similar ruling was handed down in January, rejecting "Redskins Hog Rinds."

The agency is considering whether to revoke the trademark protection for the NFL team, part of a long-running challenge from a group of Native Americans. A hearing was held 12 months ago.

Team owner Dan Snyder says respect goes both ways when it comes to the debate over the team's nickname — pretty much confirming he will not be bowing to public pressure to change it anytime soon.

Snyder, the man who ultimately gets to decide whether the name stays or goes, offered his thoughts on the matter in October in a letter to season-ticket holders, the first time he has addressed at length the change-the-name campaign that has picked up momentum this year.

The tone of the letter suggests that no change is under consideration.

"I've listened carefully to the commentary and perspectives on all sides, and I respect the feelings of those who are offended by the team name,' the letter states. 

"But I hope such individuals also try to respect what the name means, not only for all of us in the extended Washington Redskins family, but among Native Americans too."

Not small potatoes to them.

Dan Snyder offers $20K for fan's customized Redskins van

Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has been under a lot of heat lately for his refusal to change the team's name. And his charitable work around the D.C. area sometimes gets lost in the controversy.

One charitable item missing on the team's website is Snyder's offer to a military veteran. The team owner has offered to pay $20,000 for a customized Redskins van owned by 55-year-old Charles Jones, a veteran who was homeless when he purchased it in Feb. 2012.

Jones painted the van after the team's 3-6 start last season, which coincided with the Redskins' run to the division title and the playoffs. But now, financial obligations has Jones selling the van. He posted an ad on Craigslist with an asking price of $13,000.

The Redskins called Jones with the inflated offer while the Washington Post's Sarah Kogod was doing a story on Jones and his vehicle.

“I don't know if that was a gag, or whatever, but he said that Dan Snyder would like to buy the van for $20,000,” Jones told Kogod when he hung up the phone. “That's just what I need.”

Jones continued: “I have my faith, and I've tried to be patient. This means so much. I can pay off my debts, I can help my family. ... And the most important thing, I can finally afford to go visit my daughter and grandkids. That means more to me than anything.”

Kogod was on hand when Jones got the call. Here's his reaction.

Redskins owner after beating Giants: 'I hate those mother[bleepers]'

Dan Snyder had a lot of reason to gloat after his Washington Redskins beat the New York Giants, 17-16, and creep one game behind his division-leading rivals, but someone should be washing the brash owner's mouth out with soap.

The jubilant Redskins owner has such a deep hatred of his NFC East counterparts that, after the game, screamed, "I hate those mother[bleepers] to a team staffer in front a group of reporters who were sitting in the Washington locker room.

Snyder — who must have quietly been seething while the Giants were winning two Super Bowls since 2008 — finally had a chance to puff out his chest but might have wanted to check his exuberance at the door as he congratulated his players.

It didn't take long for his words to reach the visitor's locker room on the other side of FedEx Field.

"I don't give two [bleeps] what Daniel Snyder has to say," said Giants lineman Chris Snee. "I've heard lots of things about people hating him too.  Including people that work for him."

Snyder's disdain for his I-95 rivals might not be solely tied to Monday night's big win.  He remains angry at Giants owner John Mara's crusade to have the Redskins forfeit nearly $30 million in salary cap room last summer stemming from reported violations of the NFL's uncapped year in 2010.

Head coach Mike Shanahan even used Mara's power play as motivation for his team by handing out fliers of his words before the game.

Snyder's colorful phrase is one that has been tossed around FedEx Field pretty often.  The detestable team owner has been called the same name by Redskins fans for years.