National Football League

UN expert weighs in on Redskins controversy

Published Apr. 11, 2014 5:47 a.m. ET

foxsports

GENEVA (AP) A United Nations human rights expert says the name of the Washington Redskins football team is a ''hurtful reminder'' of the mistreatment of Native Americans, but stopped short of joining in calls for the team's owner to change the name.

Last month, team owner Dan Snyder said he was creating a foundation to assist American Indian tribes but gave no indication he had plans to change the name, which he says honors Native Americans.

On Friday, James Anaya - a UN expert on indigenous people's rights - urged Snyder to ''consider that the term `redskin' for many is inextricably linked to a history of suffering and dispossession.''

Anaya says ''it is understood to be a pejorative and disparaging term that fails to respect and honor'' Native Americans.