ISELTA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann says that when he wore the uniform as a player he did it to honor American Indians.
But Theismann said Friday at the Isleta Resort & Casino at the Isleta Pueblo that he understands why some Native Americans want the name changed.
Theismann made his comments before his keynote address at a luncheon for Colorado State and Washington State. The teams are scheduled to face off Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder has called the team name and mascot a “badge of honor” and has rebuffed suggestions to change a name that some find offensive.
The name dates to the team’s first years in Boston in the 1930s and has survived numerous outside efforts to change it.
