RICHMOND, Va. — ESPN’s show First Take, with co-hosts Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman, visited Redskins Training Camp in Richmond Thursday to film on site. Kellerman was asked by the media on hand about the team this year, the NFC East, and the often-discussed controversial nickname. Kellerman said that not only did he think the name should change, but that it would happen under the current regime.
“Yes, it will change and Dan Snyder will change it,” Kellerman declared. “And I’m looking forward to that day, because I’m very disappointed in him right now.”
Snyder has repeatedly said that name is a badge of honor and that he will “never change the name.”
Kellerman dismissed attempts to downplay the seriousness of the issue through recent polls, as well as the implication that the idea of changing the name was capitulating to any individual who might be offended.
“We’re not talking about anyone. We’re talking about a repressed minority group, where there are many people in that group who are offended by the name,” he said. “Don’t tell me about the etymology, or the origins, or the derivation of the name. The fact is, it has come over time to be used in a pejorative sense.”
Kellerman related a story of watching the team play in the Super Bowl when he was growing up and being surprised when he realized what the team name was.
“The world has changed, I think, for the better in that regard, and I’m hoping that the Washington franchise comes to their senses before too long.”
