Tribal leaders thank Obama for voicing concern over Washington Redskins name

WASHINGTON – Native American leaders used a meeting at the White House to thank President Barack Obama for voicing concern about the name of the Washington Redskins football team.

Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Nation, which has led efforts to get the team to change its name, thanked Obama for speaking out. Other tribal leaders responded with applause.

In an interview last month with The Associated Press, Obama said that if he owned the Redskins, he would consider changing the name. He said nostalgia isn’t a good enough reason to keep a name that offends “a sizable group of people.”

The meeting was closed to the press. The developments were described by a tribal representative who was not authorized to discuss the private discussions publicly and insisted on anonymity.