Roger Goodell Says He Doesn't See Dan Snyder Changing Redskins' Nickname

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that he does not anticipate Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder changing his team's name.

When asked on ESPN's Golic & Wingo show (h/t ESPN.com's John Keim) about Snyder potentially budging from his stance on keeping the Redskins' name, Goodell said, "I don't see him changing that perspective."

The issue was brought up in the wake of the Cleveland Indians announcing Monday that they will no longer use their Chief Wahoo logo on in-game uniforms following the 2018 season.

There has long been a public outcry for the elimination of the Redskins' nickname, but Goodell pointed to a 2016 Washington Post poll as a reason why it may not happen:

"The interesting thing is that Dan Snyder has really worked in the Native American community to understand better their perspective. And it's reflected mostly in a Washington Post poll that came out [in May 2016] that said nine out of 10 Native Americans do not take that in a negative fashion, the Redskins' logo or the Redskins' name, and they support it."

In the 2016 poll, 504 Native Americans were asked if they considered Redskins to be an offensive term. Nine percent said they did, while one percent had no opinion.

Despite that, Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter released a statement calling for the Redskins to follow the Cleveland Indians' example, per Keim:

"Cleveland's decision should finally compel the Washington football team to make the same honorable decision. For too long, people of color have been stereotyped with these kinds of hurtful symbols—and no symbol is more hurtful than the football team in the nation's capital using a dictionary- defined racial slur as its team name. Washington Owner Dan Snyder needs to look at Cleveland's move and then look in the mirror and ask whether he wants to be forever known as the most famous purveyor of bigotry in modern sports, or if he wants to finally stand on the right side of history and change his team's name. We hope he chooses the latter."

In 2013, Snyder told Erik Brady of USA Today that he would never change the Redskins' nickname.

The 53-year-old Snyder has owned the team since 1999.

The franchise began as the Boston Braves in 1932 before becoming the Boston Redskins in 1933 and then the Washington Redskins upon relocating from Boston in 1937.

Under the Redskins nickname, Washington has won five NFC championships and three Super Bowls.