Last week, MRCTV told you about two members of British Parliament who wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, demanding that he change the Washington Redskins team name. The two members of Parliament warned Goodell that if he did not do so, action would be taken to prevent the team from playing their game in London, which is scheduled for later this year.
In response, Mark Yellowhorse Beasley, a member of the Navajo Nation, wrote a letter to Goodell that blasted MPs Ruth Smeeth and Ian Austin, accusing them of hypocrisy and a lack of knowledge concerning the true origin of the team's name.
"Smeeth and Austin need to comprehend that our 'red' concepts are powerful and meaningful within our society and have been passed on for generations," wrote Beasley. "They should know that many of our continent’s native nations self-describe as Red-skinned, Red People, or Red Painted People, including members of the Apache, Choctaw, Houma, Beothuk, and Red Fire just to name a few."
Beasley also pointed out that the two members of Parliament have seemingly had no problem with other sports teams named after indigenous peoples coming to play in Great Britain.
"...these MPs have been silent for years as professional rugby teams with indigenous-based names such as Zwarte Duivels, Diablos Rojos, the Amazons or Os Tupis routinely come to England. Moreover, Smeeth and Austin must realize that London has its very own professional Redskins team which, amazingly, was founded in the very same year as Washington D.C.’s team."
While Beasley penned the letter himself, several other members of the Navajo Nation endorsed his statement.
Beasley also asked that members of his tribe be invited to visit with the two Parliament members so that they could hear their side of the story.
"I propose the MPs Smeeth and Austin fly us to London and extend the same courtesy to hear our side of the Redskin story much as they did to those well-funded activists who visited them to demean the Redskins in their continuing push for de-colonization."
There are no reports of any official response from Goodell's office thusfar.
Beasely's letter can be viewed in its entirety here.