[Pages S6544-S6545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Washington Commanders

  Mr. DAINES. Madam President, I rise today to talk about the need to 
right a wrong. The National Football League and the Washington 
Commanders must do more to honor the Commanders' Native American 
heritage, as powerfully symbolized by the team's former iconic logo, 
and they must commit to never ever again censor it or degrade it.
  Here is the story. This is a photograph from the 1960s of Blackie 
Wetzel and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Blackie Wetzel was a member of 
the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and served his people and the country 
in many roles throughout his life, including chairman of the Blackfeet 
Tribe and president of the National Congress of American Indians.
  In 1971, Blackie met with George Herbert Allen, who was then the head 
coach and the general manager of Washington's premiere professional 
sports franchise, the Washington Redskins. Knowing that Coach Allen 
admired and supported Native Americans, Blackie Wetzel encouraged him 
to replace the team's ``R'' logo with something that represented Indian 
Country. Blackie brought Coach Allen pictures of prominent Native 
American figures, including Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf, who is 
pictured here on this poster board beside me.
  On behalf of the team, Coach Allen adopted the now legendary logo 
that became the symbol of this storied franchise and among one of the 
most popular in league history.
  Make no mistake, this logo was inspired, it was envisioned by Blackie 
Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans.
  By the way, it is not a character. It is a depiction of pride and of 
strength, a depiction of courage, of honor. In fact, as Blackie Wetzel 
said in 2002:

       It made us all so proud to have an Indian on a big-time 
     team.

  And, I will tell you, support from the Wetzel family, the White Calf 
family, and the Blackfeet Nation remains as strong as ever today.
  In fact, the Blackfeet Nation recently expressed their ``wholehearted 
support'' for the logo and urged the NFL and the Commanders to restore 
it to a place of ``prominence and honor.''
  In fact, I will never forget Don Wetzel when he came to me 3 years 
ago--in fact, 3 years ago this very week--to share his father's 
remarkable legacy and to tell me directly the logo still mattered to 
him and to his family even after the team stopped using it.
  Now, for context, the contributions of our Nation's Native American 
Tribes to our country's culture and heritage is beyond dispute. And 
this includes their service in the Armed Forces.
  Do you realize that Native Americans serve our country in uniform at 
the highest percentage of any ethnic group? They are warriors for our 
country. And we honor them, and we honor all veterans this week.
  Any franchise should be proud to be associated with Native American 
heritage. But, unfortunately, in February of this year, the NFL 
deliberately censored the logo on its official X account, as you can 
see here. They did this when honoring previous Super Bowl winners, and 
the Commanders are selling a shirt even today that does the same.
  You might ask what I mean by ``censoring the logo.'' Well, in the 
case of the NFL, they photoshopped graphics to cover up the logo on the 
team's helmet, as you can see here. This is John Riggins. It is a 
picture of one of the great legends of Washington, DC.
  And in the case of a shirt that was honoring Darrell Green, the logo 
is completely removed from the helmet, as if it were some sort of 
obscene image.
  Now, this blatant censorship is outrageous, and it is offensive, not 
to mention hypocritical. Players wore the very same shirt in pregame 
warmups with one major difference. You will see here that the logo is 
proudly displayed, as it should be. We can see the logo. So why 
couldn't fans share the same enthusiasm by purchasing a shirt with a 
legendary player and a legendary logo?
  And I have got to tell you, the censorship of honorable Native 
imagery certainly does not promote diversity, equity, or inclusion.
  And let me be clear. Anyone who has been following this issue for the 
past few months knows this: I am not calling for the return of the 
former team name.
  Let me say that again, because there are folks who twist this. I am 
not calling for the return of the former team name, which had become 
increasingly controversial, especially in Indian Country. But unlike 
the former name, the logo was rarely a subject of controversy; and, in 
fact, it was never alleged to be disparaging during the trademark 
disputes against the team that spanned many years.
  And while some individuals might object to teams featuring any Tribal 
imagery, however honorable and realistic, there is no doubt in my mind 
that the overwhelming majority of fans in Indian Country and beyond 
believe that Washington's former logo is honorable, and it is a point 
of pride.
  Look no further than the Blackfeet Nation's chairman of the Tribal 
council writing this letter supporting the logo. It was dated September 
23, 2024. It was therefore wrong and simply unnecessary for the NFL and 
the team's former ownership to discard the logo and abandon its nearly 
90-year connection to Indian Country.
  Now, the good news is that the new Commanders owners have taken some 
positive steps since the May committee hearing on legislation related 
to RFK Stadium here in Washington. I applaud them for honoring Wetzel 
with a permanent memorial at Northwest Stadium. And I am told that 
censoring the logo on the Darrell Green shirt was an oversight, and it 
won't happen again when other Washington legends are featured on shirts 
in the future.
  It is also my undersigning that the Commanders are continuing to have 
good-faith conversations with the Wetzel family on potentially allowing 
a new foundation, to be created, to use the iconic logo to draw 
attention to critical issues facing Indian Country.
  I sincerely hope these conversations result in the team taking 
additional action to honor the Blackfeet Nation's contributions to the 
team's history and, frankly, the rich Native American

[[Page S6545]]

heritage surrounding our Nation's Capital.
  I also strongly encourage the NFL to allow sales of vintage 
merchandise featuring the Native American logo where market demand 
exists. And if the Commanders want to occasionally wear the throwback 
uniform with the classic helmet, the NFL should fully support it.
  Can you imagine the Cowboys star once again lined up, helmet to 
helmet, with the Blackfeet chief?
  Now, I know enough about marketing and public relations to realize 
the NFL needs assistance and assurances that its corporate sponsors and 
media partners won't protest and create a stir were such sales to 
resume. So I would like to publicly call on the NFL's sponsors to hear 
the support of the Blackfeet Nation, to hear the support of the Wetzel 
family, and to hear the thunderous support of fans across the country 
for honoring the logo, for allowing NFL-sanctioned merchandise sales 
featuring it, and for supporting Indian Country along the way.
  Corporate sponsors, I urge you to let the NFL know you recognize the 
Native American logo was never the problem and that you believe it 
should be celebrated, not censored moving forward.
  I am not the first Senator to come to this floor to draw attention to 
Washington's football franchise or to make demands in the context of 
extending the lease for RFK Stadium. Senator Harry Reid and Senator Ben 
Nighthorse Campbell, among others, used this platform to demand that 
the team change its name.
  Well, today on behalf of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana--and, no 
doubt, with the support of millions of football fans across the 
country--I come to the Senate floor to say our culture overcorrected in 
2020. The NFL overcorrected. The team's previous ownership 
overcorrected. Sponsors overcorrected. And we are still seeing shocking 
displays of censorship of an honorable logo as a result.
  But now can be the day of righting that wrong. As we celebrate Native 
American Heritage Month this November, what better time to do it than 
now? What better time to restore one of the NFL's greatest logos ever 
to the--as the Blackfeet Tribe wrote in their letter--``place of 
prominence and honor'' as hoped for and called for by the Blackfeet 
Nation of Montana.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cortez Masto). The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. WELCH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
permitted to complete my remarks prior to the scheduled vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.