Billy Dieckman to Newsmax: Time to Restore Redskins Name

Billy Dieckman, an adviser for the Native American Guardians Association, a group that is calling on the Washington Commanders NFL team to return to its Redskins name, told Newsmax on Wednesday that when the team’s name and logo changed, “they did the exact opposite of fighting racism.”

“They helped eradicate a big part of our history, and that’s what we want back,” Dieckman, a member of the Kiowa tribe, said on Newsmax’s “National Report.”

More than 100,000 people have signed onto a Change.org petition seeking the name of the Redskins to be restored, and Dieckman said that “what America is missing” is that polls show that 90% of Native Americans agree that the team should return to its original name.

“It’s not just about the football team that we’re doing this,” Dieckman said. “We’re trying to rescue our culture and our name and our history, our imagery, from being eradicated by the very few.

The Change.org petition has already surpassed 100,000 signatures, with the group hoping that it will reach at least 150,000 signatures.

“The name ‘Commanders’ fails to capture the essence, tradition, and historical weight associated with the Redskins,” the petition states. “It lacks the uniqueness, emotional connection, and pride that our team’s original name embodies…by restoring the Redskins name, we reinstate a symbol of unity, strength, and shared identity that has inspired generations of fans.”

The Washington NFL team debuted the Commanders name in 2022, after then-owner Daniel Snyder said the Redskins name had “increasingly become a distraction from our primary focus of football,” and said the change was made “in the spirit of inclusivity.”

Dieckman, though, said there was a “very well-funded group,” whose name he didn’t mention, “that has become the name-change organization.”

That’s because there is money and politics involved, he said.

The petition has caught fire because in the past, the media “did ignore us and our side and spoke for us,” said Dieckman, adding that while he would like to believe in his heart that the people behind the name change were acting in good faith, the push was “misguided.”

“The term ‘redskin’ is very honorable,” he said. “The redskin is actually the status symbol of an elite warrior, and only the elite warriors were allowed to participate in the bloodroot ceremony to get ready for battle.”

The former Washington Redskins logo was also an image drawn from a real person, not a mascot, said Dieckman.

“It’s Chief Two Guns White Calf which was gifted to us from the Blackfoot tribe,” he pointed out.

Dieckman also noted that the Redskins name has been in play since 1932, and was only changed a year ago.

According to Bleacher Report, George Preston Marshall founded the Washington Redskins in 1937. He had originally bought the Boston Braves franchise in 1932, renaming it the Redskins that same year and retaining the name when he relocated the team to Washington.

“Why that all just came to a head here in the last couple of years, goes to show you how dangerous misinformation is,” Dieckman told Newsmax. “Their whole narrative was based on a lie.”

Meanwhile, he said he has not heard any news about whether the Commanders have reacted to the petition, but he is “very convinced they’re very aware because this thing started as a little whisper, and now it’s a roar.”

But when asked if there is a move to restore the Cleveland Guardians’ name to the Cleveland Indians in baseball, Dieckman said he is also not offended by that professional sports name.

“Our movement is actually way bigger than sports teams’ names, but that ties in because the eradication of native imagery is that’s where they focused their spotlight,” he said.

He also pushed back at complaints about the former Indians’ mascot “Chief Wahoo.”

“Why can’t we have animation?” he said. “Why can’t we have a cartoon? Nobody’s mad about Elmer Fudd and saying ‘Well, that represents all white Americans.’ It’s just not the case.”

He also noted that the Cleveland Indians professional football team also starred Native American football player Jim Thorpe.

“The native history ties in with every city in this country, and that’s why people are absolutely ignoring them,” said Dieckman.