Marshall’s name will also be removed from the Ring of Fame, the story wall at Redskins Park, and any mention of him on the Redskins’ website will also be removed, the team said.
Marshall was known for opposing integration into the NFL and did not sign an African American on Redskin’s roster until 1962, 16 years after the league began signing black players. The team that cuts ties under the name Marshall comes amid the national discourse on racial inequality sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by Minneapolis police.
The Ring of Fame, shown on the inside façade of FedEx Field, pays tribute to “51 members of the organization whose contributions still resonate and reverberate throughout the history of the franchise,” according to the Redskins website.
Last week, the Marshall statue outside the Redskins’ former home, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, was removed by Events DC, the city convention and the sports authority.
“This symbol of a person who did not believe that all men and women were created equal and who really worked against integration is contrary to everything that we as people, a city and a nation represent,” said senior executives of Events DC in a statement in time.
The statue is gone. But the name will remain.
Despite the Redskins’ efforts to move away from its founder’s racist past, the team has not recently addressed criticism from Native American groups and others for continuing to call themselves Redskins.
The term is viewed by many as an offensive racial slur to Native American communities.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier this month told a local radio show that “it is time for the team to deal with [a name that] offends so many people. ”
“This is a great franchise with a great story that is well loved throughout history and deserves a name that reflects the affection we feel for the team,” Bowser told the Doc & Galdi Show.
And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked the team to change her name when she tweeted a black box on Blackout Tuesday, showing solidarity with those protesting the murder of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis police.
In 2013, owner Dan Snyder told USA Today that he will “never” change the name.
“When I consider the name of the Washington Redskins, I think about what it means. I think of the traditions and pride of the Washington Redskins that I want to share with my three children, just as my father shared with me,” Snyder wrote in a letter. fans later that year.
CNN has reached out to the Redskins for further comment.
CNN’s Homero De la Fuente, Paul Murphy and Alison Harding contributed to this report.
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