Giants offensive tackle Sean Locklear was about 12 years old when his mother, Effie, gave him a Starter hat with a Redskins logo on it. He cherished the gift.
“Back then Starter was everything,” Locklear said yesterday inside the Giants locker room at the Timex Performance Center. “I wound up losing it. I think somebody stole it.”
His connection with the Redskins runs deeper than just being a childhood fan. Locklear’s mother is full-blooded Native American, a member of the Lumbee Tribe in Lumberton, N.C., where Locklear was raised. Sean attended pow-wows as a kid. He also has ridden in parades and as an adult has sat in on meetings where tribal leaders continue their quest to be federally recognized.
The Lumbee Tribe dates back to 1885 with ancestors as far back as the 1700s, but it never has benefited from the financial perks a treaty with the United States would bring.
“That’s one thing that we’ve been fighting for and continue to fight for is getting federal recognition,” said Locklear, whose father is African-American. “It’s all about documentation, and we have documents that go back only so far of where our people actually came from.”
The Giants (7-4) play the Redskins (5-6) on Monday Night at FedEx Field in a matchup that always is going to be special for Locklear.
There’s the connection from when he cheered for the Redskins as a kid. There’s the year he spent in Washington last season. The nine-year veteran called it a good experience, though he signed with the Giants during the offseason and has become a valuable contributor to an offensive line that has needed shuffling.
After opening the season as the starting left tackle because of an injury to Will Beatty, Locklear figures to start at right tackle Monday if David Diehl can’t go because of a neck burner. Locklear took all the reps with the first team yesterday.
“I didn’t know I was going to practice there until they told me just before we went out,” Locklear said. “You just have to be ready.”
He would like nothing more than to start against the Redskins, the team he cheered and played for. Today, there is lingering controversy over whether “Redskins” is an appropriate nickname for an NFL team.
The issue has gone as high as the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, which upheld the team’s right to keep a nickname some view as a racially offensive. When Locklear was growing up the nickname was not viewed with any disdain. He hasn’t changed his mind all of these years later.
“Growing up you didn’t really think of the Redskins being racial at all,” Locklear said. “A lot of people were Redskins fans because of the whole Native American thing.
“We didn’t have the Panthers then, so people rooted for the closest city. The Redskins were the closest team around. You saw Native Americans with the Redskins decals. It’s just a part of it.”
Locklear said he doesn’t want to debate the issue. He speaks from his own background and experience. He understands those who want the nickname changed, but he is fine if it remains.
“Do I take offense, me personally? No,” he said. “It’s a name. I don’t really take it to heart. I know it can be a racial issue. But to me it’s a mascot. It doesn’t bother me.”
His immediate focus is preparing himself to start if needed, something he wasn’t sure he would do much when Beatty and Diehl looked entrenched at the two tackle spots. Locklear figured his primary role would be in the Jumbo formation as an additional lineman, but injuries to Beatty and Diehl have kept Locklear busy. His versatility has become a welcome asset the Giants will need against the Redskins.