National Football League

Politicians Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton differ on Redskins name change

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:05 p.m. ET

foxsports

It seems like no one in Washington can agree on anything these days.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe sidestepped the debate over the Washington Redskins name Friday, preferring instead to focus on the economic benefits of having the team in his state.

"It is not up to a governor to tell a private business what to do with their business," McAuliffe said during a visit to a Redskins training camp practice. "I am about growing our economy. I'm about diversifying our economy. ... The voters elected me to get jobs, and this team here is helping me get jobs."

Meanwhile, on Monday former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview that she thought the name needs to go.

"I think it's insensitive and I think there's no reason for it to continue as the name of a team in our nation's capital," Clinton said. "I would love to see the owners think hard about what they could substitute."

This all comes on the heels of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceling the team's trademark registration in June. The Redskins, as expected, plan to appeal the ruling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.