Packers president: NFL owners have discussed Redskins name

Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy says the National Football League’s owners have discussed the Redskins nickname.

Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy says the National Football League’s owners have discussed the Washington Redskins nickname.  

Murphy, a former Redskins safety, has been involved in this type of issue before. As the athletic director at Colgate, he said he helped change the school’s nickname from Red Raiders to Raiders. He became the Packers president in 2007.

“There have been discussions at the league level,” Snyder said, during a presentation at the Marquette Law School. “We have had some discussions at owners’ meetings. Dan has made presentations. Quite honestly, I think with all the issues we are facing, with domestic violence and concussions, it’s probably not at the top of the list.” 

Murphy said Green Bay is “right in the middle of the Oneida Nation,” which made him “very sensitive” to the issue. The Oneida Nation said earlier this year that the NFL should take action against Redskins owner Dan Snyder because he "continues to proudly promote bigotry by using a dictionary-defined racial slur as his team's name."

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Snyder has repeatedly said that he will not change the nickname, insisting that the name is a term of honor and respect.

“I think when it gets to the point where it’s costing the team and the league money, then you will start to see real serious discussion about it,” Murphy said.

- Scooby Axson