Washington NFL: New York Mayor supports review of team's name

The Mayor of New York city, Bill de Blasio, has declared his support for the step taken by Washington NFL to review its team's name.

While disclosing this on Sunday July 5, 2020, Blasio stated on his Twitter handle that the name depicts "racism".

"The name is racist. Independence isn’t just a holiday; it's an ideal we live up to when we cast off the remnants of a hateful past," he stated.

"Every sports team with a name rooted in this kind of bigotry needs to make a change," Blasio added.

It would be recalled that the Washington NFL team announced on Friday that they would do a "thorough review" of the team's name, which has long been condemned as an anti-Indigenous slur.

The agitation for change of name began after FedEx, the owner of the naming rights to the field where the team plays, requested that the team change its name.

"In light of recent events around our country and feedback from our community, the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team’s name.

"This review formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks," the team said in a statement.

Team owner Dan Snyder said he wanted to take into account the "proud tradition and history of the franchise" but also wanted to include input from others including the organization, the community and the National Football League.

“This issue is of personal importance to me and I look forward to working closely with Dan Snyder to make sure we continue the mission of honoring and supporting Native Americans and our Military," said head coach Ron Rivera in a statement.

Also supporting the step is the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell.

Goodell declared his support in a statement that "He is supportive of this important step."