{"id":2361427,"date":"2024-10-30T08:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T12:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-commanders-logo-change-effort-could-get-a-new-senate-ally-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-30T08:14:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T12:14:13","slug":"washington-commanders-logo-change-effort-could-get-a-new-senate-ally-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-commanders-logo-change-effort-could-get-a-new-senate-ally-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Commanders logo change effort could get a new Senate ally &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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\">28<\/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%2Fwashington-commanders-logo-change-effort-could-get-a-new-senate-ally-washington-examiner%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=2361427&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 of Montana is spearheading an effort\u2064 to pressure\u2063 the Washington Commanders NFL team to restore its former logo,\u200c which depicted a Native American chief and was historically\u2062 significant to the Blackfeet Tribe. This\u200b initiative faces new support from Republican candidate Tim \u2062Sheehy, \u2062who is vying for a Senate seat in a tight race that\u200c could impact the balance of power in Congress. Daines \u200dhas successfully blocked legislation that would enable the\u200c construction of \u2062a new stadium for the Commanders in Washington, D.C., arguing\u2064 that the restoration of the logo is important\u200d for honoring Indigenous heritage. His stance has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senators-split-on-bidens-potential-evan-gershkovich-prisoner-swap\/\" title=\"Senators divided over Biden&#039;s possible Gershkovich prisoner exchange.\">garnered mixed reactions<\/a> \u2063in Montana, with some constituents believing there are \u200bmore pressing issues to address concerning Native \u2062American communities. The Commanders have \u2064acknowledged the legacy of the \u200blogo through a recent memorial \u2064at their current stadium, though some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/calif-family-found-dead-on-hiking-trail-died-of-extreme-heat\/\" title=\"Calif. family found dead on hiking trail died of extreme heat\">family members continue<\/a> to seek\u2063 more significant recognition. The Senate is set to\u200d revisit\u2063 the stadium bill after the November elections, amidst\u200d ongoing discussions \u200babout the Commanders&#8217; future and their\u2063 connection to the local Native American communities.  <\/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<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Washington Commanders logo change effort could get a new Senate ally<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1838002\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>GLENDIVE, Montana &mdash;<\/strong> A Montana senator&rsquo;s bid to force an NFL team thousands of miles away to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3012291\/daines-block-rfk-stadium-site-commanders-logo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">restore its old logo<\/a> may soon see his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">long-shot endeavor bolstered<\/a> by the Treasure State&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3190994\/jon-tester-montana-democrats-gop-takeover\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pivotal Senate election<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has for months <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3134430\/commanders-owner-josh-harris-progress-dc-stadium-bill-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blocked bipartisan legislation<\/a> that would pave the way for a new Washington Commanders stadium in Washington, D.C., over the franchise&rsquo;s refusal to revert to its retired Redskins logo, a cause he&rsquo;s taken up on behalf of the Montana Native American family and tribe behind the logo&rsquo;s inception.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Tim Sheehy, locked in a tight battle against Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in a race that could determine Senate control, is ready to reinforce Daines&rsquo; effort in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Indians themselves want that to happen,&rdquo; Sheehy recently told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> of local Native families and restoring the logo. &ldquo;I would certainly support it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/2024-election-campaign-live-updates-harris-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The old logo of a Native American chief, since replaced with a simple &ldquo;W&rdquo; brandishing the team&rsquo;s burgundy and gold colors, was inspired by Blackfeet Tribe chief John Two Guns White Calf and created by Walter &ldquo;Blackie&rdquo; Wetzel. The portrait logo was used by the team from 1972 until the Redskins name was retired in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, as the franchise sought to respond to the controversy around the name and image that other Indigenous people found offensive.<\/p>\n<p>Daines, chair of the Senate GOP&rsquo;s campaign arm and a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, has been a vocal advocate on Capitol Hill for White Calf and Wetzel family descendants who have lobbied the Commanders to readopt their logo.<\/p>\n<p>Daines&rsquo; blockade against a House-passed bill has prevented the local government of Washington, D.C., from taking control of the federally owned land that&rsquo;s home to the abandoned RFK Stadium, which the team and city want for a new stadium. The Commanders&rsquo; current stadium sits a few miles outside city limits in Landover, Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is about righting a wrong,&rdquo; Daines told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;The legendary&nbsp;Blackfeet logo that was championed by Blackie Wetzel and based on the likeness of Chief Two Guns White Calf must be restored to a place of honor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From l-r: Tim Sheehy, Republican senatorial candidate for Montana, speaks during the Republican National Convention, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee, and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., center, offers remarks following the Senate Republican policy luncheon at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photos\/Rod Lamkey, Jr. and J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But not everyone in Montana feels it&rsquo;s a worthwhile mission for United States senators.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is something I really don&rsquo;t care about, I don&rsquo;t spend much time thinking about,&rdquo; Ryan Busse, the Democratic challenger to Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT), told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in a recent interview. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really think it&rsquo;s a Montana issue, but I&rsquo;ve not heard about it anywhere. It certainly isn&rsquo;t elevated to, like, property taxes, I can tell you that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Darcy Saunders, a Tester supporter and Bozeman resident with Native heritage advocated for Daines to divert his focus to what she said were more pressing Native American issues, such as healthcare, education, and housing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think people need to be sensitive to that portrayal of Native Americans, or any other cultural,&rdquo; Saunders said. &ldquo;For Daines to think that&rsquo;s one of the main issues for him, it&rsquo;s just &mdash; there are so many things going on that he&rsquo;s been totally silent on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sheehy has faced backlash on the campaign trail for derogatory remarks about Native Americans unveiled in leaked audio, in which he said a &ldquo;great way to bond with all the Indians, to be out there while they&rsquo;re drunk at 8 a.m.&rdquo; Sheehy later admitted the remarks were &ldquo;insensitive&rdquo; during a debate with Tester, but the former Navy SEAL batted down Tester&rsquo;s call for an apology.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I come from the military, as many of our tribal members do,&rdquo; Sheehy said at the time. &ldquo;We <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-takeaways-from-second-debate-between-tester-and-sheehy-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Five takeaways from second debate between Tester and Sheehy - Washington Examiner\">make insensitive jokes<\/a> and probably off color-jokes sometimes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Last month, the Commanders unveiled a memorial at their current stadium honoring the Blackfeet Nation and Wetzel to roughly two dozen Wetzel family members. It features a black and gold plaque that pays homage to the former logo&rsquo;s history by noting Wetzel &ldquo;designed this logo to symbolize and pay tribute to Indigenous populations and to honor the many values embodied by this country&rsquo;s first people, including strength, pride, courage, and service.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Wetzel&rsquo;s grandson, Ryan Wetzel, has led the charge for the old logo. He recently said relations with the team honoring his family were &ldquo;going in the right direction&rdquo; but that family members remained unsatisfied.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to get too complex,&rdquo; Ryan Wetzel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/sports\/2024\/09\/17\/commanders-logo-stadium\/\">told <em>The Washington Post<\/em><\/a>  following the memorial unveiling, declining to specify what further action was desired. <\/p>\n<p>Daines called the tribute a &ldquo;step in the right direction.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3196929\/turnout-tracker-where-ballots-cast-early-2024-elections\/\"><strong>TURNOUT TRACKER: WHERE BALLOTS HAVE BEEN CAST EARLY IN THE 2024 ELECTIONS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The logo is&nbsp;a point of pride and&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the rich Native American history that helped make our nation great, and&nbsp;it&nbsp;should be enthusiastically celebrated across our culture,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Commanders, on a recent winning streak, did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate Energy and National Resources Committee will begin to consider the House-passed RFK stadium bill after lawmakers return to Congress the week after the Nov. 5 elections and try to advance it through the narrowly divided chamber that Democrats control. Conversations are ongoing between the Commanders, the NFL, and the Wetzels, according to a source familiar with the matter. <\/p>\n<p>If Republicans retake the Senate, the measure would likely be placed in further jeopardy of ever passing. Senators would only have a few short weeks to approve it before lawmakers leave for the holidays and the new Congress commences in early January. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ryan Wetzel did not respond to interview requests but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3012291\/daines-block-rfk-stadium-site-commanders-logo\/\">previously told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em><\/a>  that severing ties with the Native American community after some five decades &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senator-blocking-vote-on-rfk-stadium-site-in-talks-with-commanders-on-logo-change\/\" title=\"Republican senator obstructing vote on RFK Stadium site in discussions with Commanders regarding logo revision\">left people hanging<\/a> who took pride in that logo.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now that I&rsquo;m old enough to be a part of this story and see the bigger picture, I don&rsquo;t think people understood the connection with the logo and tribal affiliation,&rdquo; he said earlier this year. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about just understanding the legacy of my grandfather. He was for the native people throughout the country, and that was the whole point of connecting the logo with the franchise. It was a point of pride.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1838002\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1838002\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Montana senator seeks support for Washington Commanders logo change<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2361428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/montana-republicans-washington-commanders-logo-change.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[43996,43997,34619,43995,32076],"class_list":["post-2361427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-logo-change","tag-senate-ally","tag-sports-news","tag-washington-commanders","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/montana-republicans-washington-commanders-logo-change.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361427","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\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2361427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2361428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2361427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2361427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2361427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}