Washington Redskins swat down hoax stories on name change - Politico

The name of the team is the Washington Redskins and will remain that for the future," a team spokesperson told POLITICO in an email. | Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins dismissed a spate of hoax news stories Wednesday claiming the football team had changed its name to the "Washington Redhawks."

“This morning, the Redskins organization was made aware of fraudulent websites about our team name. The name of the team is the Washington Redskins and will remain that for the future," a team spokesperson told POLITICO in an email.

Story Continued Below

At least three false stories purporting to be published by Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post and ESPN were widely circulated Wednesday morning alleging that the team had folded to political campaigns calling for them to change the name. The team's moniker has been labeled a racial slur by some Native American protest groups.

An article published on a page designed to look like the Sports Illustrated website had the headline, "Washington Football Ditches Controversial Name for Redhawks." A fake ESPN article reported that Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who has staunchly opposed changing the team's name, decided to honor Native Americans by updating it.

Another article on a page made to look like the Washington Post sports section reported on the response to the fictitious name change, with the headline reading "Native Leaders Celebrate a Victory as Washington Football Changes Mascot to the Redhawks."

Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

The webpages contained "recommended" links to one another, potentially indicating a coordinated misinformation campaign.

The unidentified group also launched a redesign of the Redskins' team website with their new mascot.

"The hawk was chosen to represent the strength, speed and courage of the Washington Redhawks’ players," an announcement on the hoax site reads.

In response, Sports Illustrated directed their readers not to be "fooled" by the report on social media.

ESPN did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Washington Post also reported on the fake sites.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Snyder and the Redskins' trademark in July, upholding their ability to utilize the team name despite opposition from those who called it derogatory toward Native Americans.

This article tagged under:

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox.

GO TO PAGE 2

Tweet