Sports

University of Minnesota Asks Vikings to Help Bar the Word "Redskins" from TCF Bank Stadium Nov. 2

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The University of Minnesota (UMN) is letting the Vikings, the state's NFL franchise, use their stadium for home games, but the school has one specific request for the upcoming season.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, UMN has asked the Vikings organization to help them in barring the name "Redskins" from TCF Banks Stadium on Nov. 2. UMN President Eric Kaler made the request in a letter on Aug. 1 first to Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) to ban the Washington Redskins' mascot name from "promotional and game date materials."

The Vikings organization has not disclosed if, or to what degree, they plan on getting involved, but an official said the talks are ongoing. Lester Bagley, the Vikings' executive vice president of public affairs, said the team is focusing on their week-one matchup on the road against the St. Louis Rams.

Currently, the team is without a stadium of their own, as a new one is being built for them.

"We take the issue very seriously, but we're just getting ready for our season and we've been very focused on training camp and the preseason, and to be honest, we don't have a game plan for our Nov. 2 game versus Washington," Bagley said in a statement.

Dan Snyder, the Redskins' owner, has stated on several occasions he does not want to change the name of his team. Most recently, he and former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley appeared on ESPN 980's "the Drive" and argued that his is not the only team with a name referencing Native Americans.

"We have met many Native Americans from Minnesota who agree with our position and feel we are using the term correctly and honorably," Tom Wyllie, a team spokesman, told the Tribune.

But McCollum is unconvinced, as he urged Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf to get involved in the matter in a letter shortly after the U.S. Patent Office cancelled the Redskins' patent on the team name.

"The time for debate has ended - the name of the Washington franchise is clearly an offensive racial slur," McCollum wrote to Wilf. "I urge you, as an NFL team owner, to not remain silent on this matter any longer."

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