{"id":2245291,"date":"2024-05-15T16:09:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T20:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-senator-threatens-to-hold-up-rfk-stadium-redevelopment-bill-if-commanders-do-not-honor-former-logo\/"},"modified":"2024-05-15T16:11:28","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T20:11:28","slug":"republican-senator-threatens-to-hold-up-rfk-stadium-redevelopment-bill-if-commanders-do-not-honor-former-logo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-senator-threatens-to-hold-up-rfk-stadium-redevelopment-bill-if-commanders-do-not-honor-former-logo\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP senator warns of blocking RFK Stadium project unless Commanders respect old logo"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-senator-threatens-to-hold-up-rfk-stadium-redevelopment-bill-if-commanders-do-not-honor-former-logo%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2245291&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Steve Daines is advocating for the Washington Commanders to honor their former logo, inspired by Native American Blackie Wetzel. Daines insists on respecting the logo&#8217;s \u200bhistory and Native American heritage. He proposes various ways for the team to honor the logo, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/consulting-firm-mckinsey-to-pay-230-million-in-latest-us-opioid-settlements\/\" title=\"McKinsey consulting firm to pay 0M in recent US opioid settlements.\">including consulting<\/a> with tribal leaders and supporting tribal causes. Senator Steve Daines is championing \u2064the preservation of the Washington Commanders&#8217; previous logo, a tribute to Native American Blackie Wetzel. Emphasizing \u2062the \u2063logo&#8217;s historical \u2063significance \u2062and Native\u2062 American roots, Daines suggests engaging with tribal leaders and backing \u2064tribal initiatives as \u200dways to pay homage to the logo.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-daines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Steve Daines\">Steve Daines<\/a> (R-MT) is pushing for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Steve Daines\">Washington Commanders<\/a> to honor the team\u2019s former logo as the Senate bill to redevelop the site of the former Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is being debated.<\/p>\n<p>The former logo of the team, when they were known as the Washington Redskins, depicts a Native American designed after Walter \u201cBlackie\u201d Wetzel, a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Daines\u2019s home state of Montana. Daines has threatened to hold up the bill from passing quickly if the team does not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hispanic-caucus-takes-aim-at-african-american-veterans-service-on-key-panel\/\" title=\"Hispanic Caucus Takes Aim at African-American Veteran\u2019s Service on Key Panel\">properly honor<\/a> the old logo.<\/p>\n<p>The Montana senator has explicitly said he is not calling for the team to revert to the \u201cRedskins\u201d name but that they should consult with the grandson of Wetzel, Ryan Wetzel, for the logo to be used in some way to honor him.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Make no mistake, this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/netflix-drops-teaser-for-2nd-season-of-hit-show-squid-game-its-coming-this-year\/\" title=\"Netflix teases 2nd season of 'Squid Game': Coming soon!\">iconic logo<\/a> was inspired and envisioned by Blackie Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans. It is not a caricature. It is a depiction of pride, strength, courage and honor. <\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s time the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Commanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Commanders<\/a> recognize that. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/obaACATA1J\">pic.twitter.com\/obaACATA1J<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SteveDaines\/status\/1790789847587688825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe failure to properly honor the pride and the history embodied by this iconic logo must be made right by both the team\u2019s new ownership and the NFL,\u201d Daines said during a Senate National Parks subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I\u2019m demanding here is very straightforward that the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/im-a-woman-lia-thomas-doubles-down-hints-at-2024-olympics\/\" title=\"\u2018I\u2019m A Woman\u2019: Lia Thomas Doubles Down, Hints At 2024 Olympics\">team leadership<\/a>, and the NFL, sit down with the Wetzel family, sit down with the Blackfeet, sit down with tribal leaders, and find a way to properly honor the history of the logo and the heritage of our tribal nations and to rededicate the organization as an advocate for Indian country,\u201d Daines added.<\/p>\n<p>Daines noted he talked with Ryan Wetzel on Tuesday and said honoring the logo could take many forms, including restoring it with a different name after consultation with tribal leaders or resuming the sale of merchandise with the logo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt could be resuming merchandise sales featuring the logo and maybe using a portion of the proceeds to bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women and other tribal causes,\u201d Daines said. \u201cFor example, on the NFL website, you can buy a retro Houston Oilers jersey with the old logo, but nowhere on the website can you find merchandise with this logo for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe new owners in the NFL have the opportunity to heal old wounds, work with families, and enter into a new era. They can properly honor the heritage of the Wetzel family, the Blackfeet tribe, Native Americans across our country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Washington Redskins helmets are seen on the sideline before an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. (AP Photo\/Michael Ainsworth)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Commanders told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in a statement that they \u201chave spoken directly with the Wetzel family and are working collaboratively to recognize Blackie Wetzel for his contributions in creating our former logo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Team officials have met with members of the Wetzel family multiple times, including this week, to work through a solution.<\/p>\n<p>RFK Stadium was the home of the Commanders from 1961 until 1996, and the site of the former stadium has been eyed as prime real estate for a new stadium for the team. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2895049\/rfk-stadium-bill-passes-house-washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">passed<\/a> in the House 348-55 in February after being introduced by Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation would move control of the land in the district from the secretary of the Interior Department to the administrator of the General Services Administration. Under control of the GSA, the bill stipulates the administrator must enter a lease with the Washington, D.C., government to allow it to redevelop the land into whatever it wants, including a new football stadium for the Commanders, commercial and residential developments, or recreational facilities.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) urges the Washington Commanders to respect their previous logo during the Senate\u2019s discussions on redeveloping the RFK Stadium site. The old logo, from the team&#8217;s Redskins era, features a Native American design<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2245292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24114744763878.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2245291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24114744763878.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2245291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2245292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2245291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2245291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2245291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}