New poll: Majority of NFL players support Redskins name

More than half of 286 NFL players asked do not believe the Redskins need to change their name, according to a poll conducted by ESPN. The players were asked the

More than half of 286 NFL players asked do not believe the Redskins need to change their name, according to a poll conducted by ESPN.

The players were asked the following question "Yes or No: Do the Redskins need to change their name?" Fifty-eight percent said no, while 42 percent responded yes. Of the 51 Redskins players polled, 26 said the name should be not be changed, one said it should be changed and 24 declined to answer.

Previous polls on the Redskins name administered to fans have presented a mixed picture.

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A Vox Populi poll published in July showed 65 percent of Washington D.C.-area residents don't think the name should be changed.

Another poll commissioned by the Oneida Indian Nation and released in October 2013 showed 59 percent of adults in the Washington region believe American Indians called "redskin" have a right to feel offended. 

Meanwhile, an Associated Press poll released in May 2013 showed 79 percent of respondents, described as '1,004 adults on both land lines and cell phones,' don't support a name change.

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The team's name has increasingly come under scrutiny from Native American groups, lawmakers, media members and other observers, who say the name is offensive and racist toward the Native American community.

A letter signed by 50 U.S. senators and endorsed by majority leader Harry Reid urged NFL leadership to press for a name change.

Redskins president Bruce Allen responded with his own letter. "With over 81 years of tradition created by thousands of alumni and millions of fans, the Redskins team name continues to carry a deep and purposeful meaning," he wrote. Washington owner Dan Snyder has repeatedly said he will never change the name. 

- Chris Johnson