City attorney: Minneapolis can’t ban Redskins name

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Attorney’s office says the city can’t ban the Redskins name when Washington plays the Vikings at the University of Minnesota next month.

The city attorney concluded Minneapolis has no jurisdiction over speech on property owned by the university because the school is a state — not a municipal — entity.

The Vikings play Washington in an on-campus NFL game on Nov. 2. The Vikings are playing at TCF Bank Stadium for two seasons while the team’s new stadium is being built.

Minneapolis City Council members Blong Yang and Cam Gordon say the name “Redskins” is a racial slur and should be changed immediately, but that the city lacks the authority for such a ban.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has vowed to never change the name, saying it honors Native Americans.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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