Dwayne Haskins is the future of the Washington Redskins, so it is only fitting that he is providing input on what the team’s name should be going forward.
In the wake of the team announcing this week that they would conduct “a thorough review” of their nickname, the Redskins quarterback offered his suggestion on Twitter. Haskins said that he liked the “Redtails.”
I like the redtails https://t.co/DLSWsUcldp
— Dwayne Haskins, Jr (@dh_simba7) July 3, 2020
For context, the Red Tails was an unofficial nickname for the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of all-black fighter pilots who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. They were also recently the focus of the 2012 war film “Red Tails” starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has long resisted calls to change the team’s nickname, which is deemed by some to be offensive to Native Americans. Snyder now appears to be relenting however amid the current social climate as well as the likelihood that he will be unable to secure funding for a new stadium without changing the name.
Haskins’ suggestion would work on a couple of different levels in terms of keeping the name fairly similar-sounding to the old one as well as honoring an important and often overlooked part of our nation’s history with the new one.
