The logo featuring John Two Guns White Calf inspired tribal and family pride, they told Fox News
Descendants of John Two Guns White Calf, a Native American chief who inspired the now-retired logo of the Washington Commanders (formerly known as the Redskins) football team, have called for its return to NFL events.
“The fans want him back and we want him back.“Thomas White Calf, the great-nephew of the famed early 20th-century Blackfeet leader, told Fox News last week.
“Our ancestor was the most famous and most photographed Native American in history.” he added, speaking on the phone with his mother, Delphine White Calf. “I’m proud of him. The Blackfeet are proud of him.”
The conservative news network interviewed the family after it met Montana Sen. Steve Daines, an outspoken critic of the 2020 decision to change the franchise’s name. The lawmaker called out what he believes is a historic mistake in Congress and in the media on multiple occasions.
“Make no mistake, this logo was inspired by and conceived as a tribute to Native Americans. It is not a caricature. It is a representation of pride and strength. Of courage and honor.” he said at a Senate subcommittee hearing in May.
Blackie Wetzel, another Blackfeet tribal leader, is credited with creating the logo in 1971. The following year, the Washington Redskins NFL franchise adopted it.
Both the name and mascot were retired in 2020 amid racial protests following the death of George Floyd. Major investors and shareholders put pressure on the team’s main sponsors, alleging the brand promoted negative stereotypes about Native Americans.
Management relented, although the Redskins changed their name to the Commanders just two years later.
A team spokesperson told Fox News that it is working with Sen. Daines. “To honor the legacy of our team’s heritage and the Native American community,” but had no intention of reviving the old logo.
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The outlet placed blame for the name controversy on the nonprofit National Congress of American Indians, which among other things seeks to eradicate what it perceives as inappropriate mascots in sports and complained against the Redskins in 2013 in a 29-page report on the issue.
“Today’s damaging ‘Indian’ mascots are largely an extension of the commercialization of the breed, such as blackface and African-American stereotypes. The document stated.
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