NFL

Bob Costas’ essay: Redskins name is a ‘slur’

The Dallas Cowboys hosted the Washington football team in NBC’s nationally televised Sunday night game, which meant it was “an appropriate time” for broadcaster Bob Costas to wade into the controversy surrounding the Redskins name with a halftime essay.

Costas said “there’s still a distinction to be made” between the use of Redskins and other Native American-themed nicknames such as Braves, Chiefs and Warriors. He highlighted college teams such as St. John’s – the Red Storm, nee Redmen – that have altered their nicknames. Then he circled back to Redskins:

“Ask yourself what the equivalent would be if directed toward African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians or members of any other ethnic group. When considered that way, ‘Redskins’ can’t possibly honor a heritage or a noble character trait, nor could it possibly be considered a neutral term. It’s an insult, a slur no matter how benign the present-day intent.”

The debate over the continued use of the name has received renewed attention in recent weeks. President Obama weighed in (against, kinda). On Sunday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said, in a Q-and-A session with Cowboys season-ticket holders, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was “way down the road” in considering a change.

In this case, there’s an additional layer of debate concerning whether Costas ought to use the forum of a football game to address hot-button cultural topics. Last year, Costas said he made a “mistake” by using the murder-suicide committed by Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher as a lens for a commentary piece on gun control.