Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has rejected an invitation from the team president to attend a “Washington, D.C. football team event,” aka a Washington Redskins home game.
After Reid and 49 other Senate Democrats signed a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asking the league to change the team name, Redskins President Bruce Allen defended the name and invited Reid to attend a home game to “witness first-hand that the Washington Redskins are a positive, unifying force for our community in a city and region that is divided on so many levels.”
Reid wrote back:
Dear Mr. Allen:I received your letter and invitation to attend a Washington, D.C. football team event.During my time in the United States Senate, I have worked to right many of the injustices endured by Americans throughout the country. Among the most egregious in the history of our country are those injustices inflicted uponAmerican Indians , Alaska Natives, and NativeHawaiians . This is personal for me. I represent 27 tribes as the Senator from Nevada and have worked to protect their homelands and their sovereignty. I have a duty to ensure that the United States uphold centuries-old treaty and trust obligations towards Native Americans, and I take this responsibility very seriously.I will not stand idly by while a professional sports team promotes a racial slur as a team name and disparages the American people. Nor will I consider your invitation to attend a home game until yourorganization chooses to do the right thing and change its offensive name.Sincerely,Harry Reid
H/T: Washington Examiner
“I will not stand idly by…” Hmmm, you mean like you did the previous 70+ years of your life before an 81-year-old team name became your pet project only a few short months ago, Harry? How about the 7 years you’ve been Senate Majority Leader, and 27 years a U.S. Senator, apparently it was okay to stand idly by then. There are many reasons to refuse tickets to a Redskins game, but this is one of the dumbest.
Read more: http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/harry-reid-pledges-boycott-washington-redskins-games/#ixzz34woTH7jH
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