California becomes first state to ban 'Redskins' team name

California became the first state to ban public schools from using "Redskins" as a team name, nickname or mascot on Sunday after California governor Jerry Brown signed into law a provision banning schools from using the term.

The law, which becomes effective on January 1, 2017, affects four California schools.

Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter  and the National Congress of American Indians Executive Director Jackie Pata, who led the advocacy group Change the Mascot, praised California Assemblyman Luis Alejo and Brown for pushing the law through.

ThankU, @JerryBrownGov, for signing AB30 to phase out "Redskins" mascots in all CA public schools! 1st IN THE NATION pic.twitter.com/14MGjw9mRV

— Asm. Luis Alejo (@AsmLuisAlejo) October 11, 2015

“They have set a shining example for other states across the country, and for the next generation, by demonstrating a commitment to the American ideals of inclusion and mutual respect," they wrote in a joint statement.

"The most populous state in the country has now taken a stand against the use of this insidious slur in its schools, and Change the Mascot expects more states to follow."

Halbritter and Pata are using the passage of California's bill to pressure the NFL's Washington, D.C. team to lose its "Redskins" name.

The Washington team has refused to change its name — since many supporters of the team insist that Native Americans aren’t actually offended by the name. 

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.

Phil Simms lets 'Redskins' name slip during Thursday night's NFL broadcast (VIDEO)

Phil Simms reiterated this week that he would try avoid using the word "Redskins" on CBS' broadcast of the Washington-New York Giants game Thursday night.

But it seems old habits die hard after Simms almost made it through the game without using the R-Word, he slipped early in the fourth quarter, and then tried to backtrack.

“Can the Redskins . . . can the Washington offensive line hang in there and block?” Simms said.

Simms' partner in the booth, play-by-play man Jim Nantz, referred to the Redskins by name on multiple occasions while the former Giants quarterback awkwardly called them "the Washington team" early in the nationally televised game.

"Will I refer to their nickname? Look, I have already done it," Simms told The MMQB's Richard Deitsch , and he did mention the Redskins by name during last Thursday's Atlanta-Tampa Bay game. "It is a habit. I played for 15 years [for the Giants] and they were a bitter rival. There is a chance I could slip.

"I don’t want to be overwhelmed by it."

Before the game, Simms also also accidentally let the name "Redskins" slip. And the look on Nantz's slightly cringing face as Simms stutters through it is quite noticeable:

'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.

Native American tribe urging NFL to sack 'Redskins' name via radio ads

An American Indian tribe in upstate New York said Thursday it will launch a radio ad campaign pushing for the Washington Redskins to shed a name often criticized as offensive.

The Oneida Indian Nation said the first ad will run on radio stations in Washington before the team hosts the Philadelphia Eagles in its season opener Monday night. In the ad, Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should "stand up to bigotry" by denouncing "the racial slur" in the team's name.

"We do not deserve to be called redskins," the Oneida leader says in the ad. "We deserve to be treated as what we are  — Americans."

The radio ad said Goodell had rightly been critical this summer after the Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper was caught on video making a racial slur against African-Americans.

The ads launch as the Washington Redskins this year face a fresh barrage of criticism over their nickname, with local leaders and pundits calling for a name change. In May, 10 members of Congress sent letters to Redskins owner Dan Snyder and Goodell urging the team to change the name.

Snyder has vowed to never change the name and there was no immediate response from the Redskins organization.

The Oneida said the first ad will run Sunday and Monday on several stations in Washington — except on the station owned by Snyder.

WTEM, also known as ESPN 980, vetoed the advertisement instantly, according to an email stream that the Oneida Nation shared with USA TODAY Sports.  Lewis Schreck, the radio station's senior vice president, used two words and seven exclamation points to reject the ad. "No way!!!!!!!"

Subsequent ads will run in Washington during home games and in the cities hosting the team when it is away. A spokesman for the Oneidas would not say how much the campaign would cost beyond "multiple thousands."