Redskins GM Bruce Allen declares victory in ignorance of the facts

Jan 9, 2014; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is introduced by general manager Bruce Allen during a press conferences at Redskins Park Team Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2014; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is introduced by general manager Bruce Allen during a press conferences at Redskins Park Team Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Redskins name has been one of the major focal points of the NFL offseason thus far. The team is currently in the midst of a long standing dispute on changing the name of their franchise due to it’s offensive nature.

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Many former players, coaches, and NFL personalities have expressed their beliefs that the team should change their name. Last week, the NFLPA’s Executive Director, DeMaurice Smith made a statement saying the name conveys ‘racial insensitivity’.

With the evidence mounting against the team’s name, Redskins president and GM Bruce Allen somehow declared victory on the twitter campaign they launched last week in order to hear opinions on the name (Courtesy of Pro Football Talk):

"The social media is the way people get information now, and our fans have spoken very loudly in support of what we’ve been doing. We got a very good response from our fans.Thousands of our fans responded, including hundreds of Native Americans, saying we are their favorite team. I do think that’s the message we’ve been hearing."

If that is the only message that the team is hearing, then they are quite selective in what they want to hear. There is a large group that opposes the name and have for quite a long time. The name that was selected nearly 80 years ago has been found to offend a certain group, and those people believe it should be changed.

The Twitter campaign last week yielded hundreds of results both in favor and opposing the team’s name. For Allen to make a public statement declaring that the name has been supported is simply ludicrous.