Champ Bailey, one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play for the Washington Redskins, is one of the many people who believe it is time for his former team to be the Redskins no more. During an interview with Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Bailey equated the term “Redskins” to the N-word for black people.
“When you hear a Native American say that ‘Redskins’ is degrading, it’s almost like the N-word for a black person,” Bailey said. “If they feel that way, then it’s not right. They are part of this country. It’s degrading to a certain race. Does it make sense to have the name?”
Bailey started his career with the Redskins. They took him with the seventh overall pick in the 1999 draft, and he went on to make the Pro Bowl in four of his five seasons with the team. Bailey knows all about the tradition that Redskins owner Dan Snyder has defended, but he believes Snyder has made the situation worse with some of the stuff he has done and said.
“I get it, he doesn’t want to change it,” Bailey said. “But he’s making it worse than it should be.”
In an era where we have anti-Redskins advertisements airing during the NBA Finals, Snyder has acted like a tough guy and bragged about how he will never change his team’s name. He has done more to stir the pot than help resolve the issue — whether he intends to keep the name or not.
“I don’t know where the name came from or how it came about, but the bottom line is that it’s still here in this day and age, and it makes no sense to have it,” Bailey added. “I love that organization, but when it starts peeling off old scabs and people are pitching a fit about it because it’s degrading to them, then you’ve got to make a change.”
At this point, it’s only a matter of time before the Washington Redskins are the Washington Something Elses.
