Redskins Issue Statement on Fake Stories Claiming Team Is Changing Nickname

The Washington Redskins have issued a statement denying stories made on fake websites that the team is changing its nickname.

"This morning, the Redskins organization was made aware of fraudulent websites about our team name," the statement said. "The name of the team is the Washington Redskins and will remain that for the future."

David Uberti of Splinter News provided images of some of the fake sites announcing Washington was changing its name to the Redhawks:

Bleacher Report was also among the websites being spoofed, along with others like ESPN, the Washington Post and TheMMQB.com, per Awful Announcing's Alex Putterman. 

The Redskins' nickname has been a source of controversy for years. The United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled the team's trademark on the nickname in 2014, noting that it was "disparaging to Native Americans."

That ruling was brought back to the spotlight in June when the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Patent and Trademark Office violated the First Amendment rights of an Asian-American rock band by denying them a trademark on their name "The Slants."

Alex Swoyer of the Washington Times noted analysts believed that ruling "could clear the way for other controversial trademarks, including the Redskins."

The franchise was established in 1932 as the Boston Braves before changing its nickname to Redskins the following year. They have been the Washington Redskins since moving to Washington D.C. prior to the 1937 season.