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The NAGA – Native American Guardians Association – is pushing for legal action against the Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins, according to report by Newsweak
The dispute is about defamation claims and a request to restore the team’s previous nickname and logo.
The NAGA also claims it has nearly 12,000 signatures support their endeavor to revert the team’s name to ‘Redskins’, because they say changing it has “dishonored” Native American heritage.
The crux of the legal battle is after allegations of defamatory comments made by the Commanders team, allegedly tarnishing the integrity of the NAGA
The lawsuit also adds that the Commanders allegedly worked with the National Congress of American Indians to remove the former name and prevent its return.
It accuses the Commanders of silencing those who disagreed with their stance.
Over the years, the name/term “Redskins” evolved into a slur, even defined as such in a dictionary. It prompt intense pressure from sponsors and some fans to a point in which former owner Dan Snyder’s decided to abandoned it.
Whether the fans can exert enough pressure to reinstate the name remains uncertain.