Redskins get dose of fake news
An unknown entity launched several online web pages disguised as legitimate news outlets Wednesday, claiming the Washington Redskins have bowed to political pressure and changed their controversial team nickname to the Redhawks.
“This morning, the Redskins organization was made aware of fraudulent websites about our team name,” Tony Wyllie, the Redskins’ senior vice president of communications, said in a statement sent via email. “The name of the team is the Washington Redskins and will remain that for the future.”
The campaign included at least five pages and a Twitter account and the links were widely shared on social media. It was not immediately clear who was behind the elaborate effort.
One of the pages — washingtonredhawks.com — closely resembles the Redskins’ official web site, but features a burgundy and gold logo of a hawk head, not the familiar Redskins’ logo.
“The updated ‘Washington Redhawks’ was inspired by team owner Dan Snyder’s deep admiration for Native Americans,” reads a news story on the fake team site. “It is a symbol of everything we stand for: strength, courage, pride, and respect — the same values we know guide Native Americans and which are embedded throughout their rich history as the original Americans.”
Wyllie said the matter has been forwarded to the league office. A spokesman for the NFL did not immediately return a request for comment.
The other pages resemble the news sites of The Washington Post, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report, and feature fake news stories related to the supposed name change, citing names of real people including activists, politicians, fans, Redskins Coach Jay Gruden and the team owner.