Supreme Court boosts Redskins’ case

The Supreme Court yesterday struck down part of a law that bans offensive trademarks, ruling in favor of an Asian-American rock band called the Slants and giving a major boost to the Washington Redskins in their separate legal fight over the team name.

The justices were unanimous in saying that the 71-year-old trademark law barring disparaging terms infringes free speech rights.

“It offends a bedrock First Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend,” Justice Samuel Alito said in his opinion for the court.

Slants founder Simon Tam tried to trademark the band name in 2011, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the request on the ground that it disparages Asians. A federal appeals court later said the law barring offensive trademarks is unconstitutional.

The Redskins made similar arguments after the trademark office ruled in 2014 that the name offends American Indians and canceled the team’s trademark. A federal appeals court in Richmond put the team’s case on hold while waiting for the Supreme Court to rule in the Slants case.

Carson honor

Innovative defensive coach Bud Carson, the coordinator for the Steel Curtain who was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams, has won the Dr. Z Award from the Professional Football Writers of America.

Carson, who died in 2005, entered the NFL as the defensive backs coach in Pittsburgh in 1972, and he was the Steelers defensive coordinator from 197377. During his time with the Steelers, he combined Pittsburgh’s front four with a complicated zone coverage in the secondary, which became known as Cover 2.

The Dr. Z Award, named after sports writer Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated, has been given out since 2014 to top assistant coaches.