NFL Official Adolpho Birch Proclaims Redskins Name 'Not a Slur'

Controversy has been hanging over the heads of the NFL as well as the Washington Redskins franchise recently due to the team’s name. They are receiving a lot of pressure by the public to change the name. Well the heat is about to turn up because NFL official Adolpho Birch has proclaimed the name ‘is not a slur’.

This is the very reason this story has been magnified. Individuals come in and make swooping generalizations about entire groups of people.

Birch did an interview with “Outside The Lines,” and went a little further by saying,”The team name is the team name as it has been for 80-plus years, and what we need to do is get beyond sort of understanding this as a point-blank situation and understand it more as a variety of perspectives that all need to be addressed, that all need to be given some weight, so that at the end of it we can come to some understanding that is appropriate and reflects the opinions of all.”

In my opinion, Birch is talking out of both sides of his mouth.

He says that that there are a variety of perspectives around the issue that need to be given weight. But by proclaiming that the name isn’t a slur he cuts out all those perspectives and opinions by taking that side.

Just because people aren’t pointing directly at someone of Native-American decent and call them a “Redskin” doesn’t mean that people aren’t offended by its use. It’s sickening to think that commissioner Roger Goodell pretends like this issue doesn’t matter. He’s too busy trying to think of ways to improve the Pro Bowl and expanding the playoffs, you know the real important stuff.

Goodell also stated that nine out of ten Native-Americans support the name. I don’t know about you, but I’d really like to see that data.

Dan Snyder, the Washington owner, is too worried about how he’s going to throw an erroneous amount of money at another sub-par free agent to further his team’s mediocrity.

In this modern day simply stating that a name has been a name for 80 years isn’t going to cut it. What if other groups of people who struggled for their civil rights and equality simply just kept things the way they were 80 years ago? That’s a pretty ugly reality for a lot of people.

The question everybody should ask themselves is, would you call a Native-American a Redskin to their face?

I’ll take that hesitation as a no.

The fact of the matter is that this issue isn’t going away. There will be a cloud over the Washington organization until it’s handled properly. The public needs to continue to shed light on the blatant disrespect Birch, Goodell and Snyder have cast down on a entire group of people.

Matt Banks is a writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattBanks12, ” Like ” him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ Network.