The Washington Redskins continue to distant themselves from team founder George Preston Marshall. The team is set to remove Marshall’s name from their Ring of Fame, according to ESPN’s John Keim.
“The Redskins are removing George Preston Marshall’s name from their Ring of Fame today, according to a source. Marshall was the original owner of the Redskins, but was the last NFL owner to integrate his franchise, not doing so until 1962. His statue was removed from in front of Washington’s old home at RFK Stadium. He will also be removed from the Redskins History Wall outside the locker room of their practice facility at Redskins Park.”
The Redskins’ decision comes less than week after Marshall’s statue was removed from outside Washington’s former home, RFK Stadium, by city of Washington, DC.
Marshall was a proponent of keeping the NFL from being integrated with Black players. The Redskins were the last NFL team to integrate. Marshall only did so after being forced by the Kennedy Administration in 1962.
The Redskins announced Saturday, they were removing Marshall’s name from the lower level of FedEx Field. It will be renamed after Bobby Mitchell. Mitchell was Washington’s first Black player.
For years, many have asked the Redskins to distance from Marshall because of his outlandish bigotry. But, recent protests against systematic racism and social inequality following the death of George Floyd brought more attention to the checkered past of the Redskins and its original owner.
References of Marshall will now be erased from the team’s sight. However, many still associate the team’s name, which is considered a racial slur by many, to Marshall. Marshall was the one who named the team “Redskins.”
Current owner Dan Snyder vowed in 2013 not to change the team’s name. However, the outcry against the team name is much louder, considering the nation’s current social climate.
