Redskins running back Roy Helu stiff-arms Oakland Raiders linebacker Nick Roach (53) during a game in Oakland on Sept. 29. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) President Obama said he would consider changing the name of the Washington Redskins because it offends Native Americans.
"If I were the owner of the team and I knew that the name of my team, even if they've had a storied history, that was offending a sizable group of people, I'd think about changing it," Obama said in an interview with the Associated Press published Saturday.
The president became the latest to weigh in on the controversy surrounding the name of Washington's football franchise. Team owner Daniel Snyder has said he will not change the team's name, but a growing number of news organizations have decided to no longer use it in stories.
Obama said he did not think the team meant offense by the name, which has been with the franchise since it was in Boston in 1933. The team moved to Washington in 1937 and has become among the top franchises in terms of revenue in the National Football League.
NFL owners are meeting in Washington on Monday, and a protest against the team's name is planned.
