National Football League

Even flag football team from Brooklyn ditches Redskins team name

Published Aug. 22, 2014 6:27 p.m. ET

foxsports

One youth flag football team will not have its name associated with the Washington Redskins anymore.

The Redskins of the Saint Francis Xavier Youth Sports League in Brooklyn will drop its name after many parents complained that it was offensive toward Native Americans, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

Stanley Lehman, a league organizer, did not want the name to get in the way of the kids playing football.

“It was causing controversy, and we’re more interested in having kids play,” Lehman told the Daily News.

Some player’s parents, including Sarah Chinn, had said they would have difficulty watching their sons play if the team kept the Redskins name.

“I would not feel comfortable cheering for this team, and I want to cheer for my child,” Chinn said.

The youth team, unlike like the NFL version, has changed its name, picking the Bears as the new nickname. Washington has taken a lot of flak for its name from many different observers, including government officials, fans and even football broadcasters. CBS analyst and former quarterback Phil Simms is among those who have said they will not use the Redskins name this season, Simms told the Daily News

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