NFL issues no comment on trademark cancellation
By Brian Miller
The NFL issued a comment today on the Washington Redskins name trademark cancellation by issuing no comment. The NFL’s spokesman, Brian McCarthy told ProFootballTalk.com via Email that “the Redskins issued a statement from their attorney.”
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The NFL is treading on a thin line here that frankly they don’t want to be walking on. Roger Goodell has not spoken publicly about the issue but several weeks ago, on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” one of the NFL’s executives called the name “not a slur”.
"“The team name is not a slur,” NFL V.P. of labor policy and government affairs Adolpho Birch said in a phone appearance on ESPN’s Outside the Lines.“The team name is the team name as it has been for 80-plus years,” Birch said. “And what we need to do is get beyond sort of understanding this as a point-blank situation and understand it more as a variety of perspectives that all need to be addressed, that all need to be given some weight, so that at the end of it we can come to some understanding that is appropriate and reflects the opinions of all.”"
The reality is that the NFL who rarely opens their mouth about controversial topics will remain quiet until they are forced to open their mouths about thissubject. And then when they are forced they will likely open their mouths and say as little as possible.
Remember how little they said publicly during the NFL lockout?
Ultimately money will prove to be the reason the name of the Redskins is changed or not. The U.S. Patent Office will hear the appeal from the Redskins and then will hand down a determination.
At which time a favorable finding for the team will end this chapter while an unfavorable ruling will likely end with a higher appeal. At some point a final decision will be made and at that time should the team start losing money, should the NFL start losing money, the name will at some point get changed.
Maybe, unless Daniel Snyder is still alive because he said it won’t “over his dead body”.
If the NFL starts losing money then that stance might change.