Belfast Telegraph

Washington NFL side to remove Redskins from franchise name

- BY ROBERT JONES

and the risks around those are mitigated.

“The GAA itself and other third parties are now working with county committees to organise pre-sales.

“You can imagine, say, Ballinderr­y have to go to play Magherafel­t at their ground in their first Championsh­ip game. And that’s their first game as county champions. The whole of Derry would want to go to see that. But it will be kept to whatever the maximum numbers are going to be.”

A number of Ulster counties are now engaged in making arrangemen­ts to livestream some fixtures through their social media platforms.

Similar ventures have been tried to varying success and effect over the last few years but, with restrictio­ns on crowds attending games, this could indeed be a potentiall­y very popular service.

THE Washington Redskins are no more as the NFL team announced they will drop the controvers­ial name and logo.

The move comes 10 days after the franchise launched a review of the team’s name, which has long been considered offensive to Native Americans.

“Today we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” a statement said.

No replacemen­t name has yet been announced, with the team saying owner Dan Snyder and coach Ron Rivera, who also effectivel­y serves as general manager, were still considerin­g alternativ­es.

“Dan Snyder and Coach Rivera are working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud, tradition-rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years.”

Snyder had previously vowed never to change the name, familiar to sports fans across the globe, but pressure has been growing amid the broader discussion­s on race which have followed the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The review into the name came a day after Fedex, which holds the naming rights to the team’s Maryland stadium, demanded it be changed, threatenin­g to pull its sponsorshi­p and withhold funding if no action was taken. Rivera later said the name change had been under considerat­ion since earlier in the summer.

 ?? INPHO ?? Fan power: It may be some time before we see the terraces packed like this
again
INPHO Fan power: It may be some time before we see the terraces packed like this again

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