The Washington Redskins, who play their home games in Landover, Maryland, are running into more troubles due to the franchise's nickname, this time as they try to move back to the nation's capital.
According to Jonathan O'Connell of the Washington Post, members of President Barack Obama's administration will take efforts to block construction of a new stadium in the area until the "Redskins" nickname is changed:
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser this spring that the National Park Service, which owns the land beneath Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, was unlikely to accommodate construction of a new stadium for the Redskins unless the team changes its name.
Jewell oversees both national park land and America's trust and treaty relationships with Native American tribes.
Jewell previously told David Kerley of ABC News in September 2014 that she's surprised the Washington franchise has not changed its nickname.
"Personally, I think we would never consider naming a team the 'Blackskins' or the 'Brownskins' or the 'Whiteskins.' So, personally, I find it surprising that in this day and age, the name is not different," Jewell said.
Jewell did add in the ABC News interview that the "Redskins" nickname "has not been the issue" that has been brought up in her discussions with Native American tribal leaders.
In O'Connell's report, Department of Interior spokeswoman Jessica Kershaw noted that a meeting between Jewell and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel E. Bowser led to her reiterating the uncomfortable sentiment around the "Redskins" name.
"[Secretary Jewell] did mention in that meeting that she was uncomfortable with the name," Kershaw said. "The president has said something similar, that he is uncomfortable with the name, and she clearly clarified that position."