Lawmaker Looking to Make NFL Pay for Redskins Name

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is proposing to eliminate the NFL’s tax-exempt status because the league has not mandated the Washington Redskins to change their name.

Cantwell announced the forthcoming legislation during a press conference Tuesday with the “Change the Mascot” group, which says the Redskins name is an insult to Native Americans.

The coalition, which includes more than 100 Native American and social justice groups, also announced it was sending a letter to all NFL owners calling on them to tell the league to “put an end to the league’s promotion of a dictionary-defined racial slur as the Washington franchise’s name.”

• NFL Brand Tarnished But Remains 'Unbreakable': Experts
• Native American group protests before Redskins opener
• NFL Ref reveals he declined to referee Redskins games

-- Andrew Rafferty