Montana Senator Demands NFL Commanders Honor Blackfeet Heritage

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - In 2019, the then Washington Redskins responded to years of heavy criticism over the team name, and by 2022 the team was renamed the Washington Commanders.

At a U.S. Senate Hearing on Wednesday, concerning HR 4984, the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, Montana Senator Steve Daines highlighted the history of the then iconic team logo that was fashioned after Montana’s own Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf, and demanded that the new owners of the team honor that legacy appropriately.

Montana's Steve Daines Demands that Commanders Honor Blackfeet Chief

“Knowing that coach (George) Allen admired and supported Native Americans, Blackfeet tribal member Blackie Wetzel encouraged him to replace the team's ‘R’ logo with something that represented Indian Country,” began Daines. “Blackie brought coach Allen designs based off of prominent Native American figures including Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf, and the clear depiction of Chief Two Guns White Calf is beyond dispute.”

Daines said he believes that honoring the model for the logo would bring pride to the Blackfeet Tribe and all Native Americans.

Daines said the New Team Owners can help Heal and Honor Native Americans

“This logo was inspired and envisioned as a tribute to Native Americans; it's not a caricature,” he said. “It is a depiction of pride; strength; courage; and honor. In fact, to quote Blackie Wetzel from 2002, he said “It made us all so proud to have an Indian on a big-time team.”

Daines laid out his bold request to the new team owners.

“What I'm demanding here is very straightforward; that the new team leadership and the NFL sit down with the Wetzel family; sit down with the Blackfeet; sit down with tribal leaders and find a way to properly honor the history of the logo and the heritage of our tribal nations and to rededicate the organization as an advocate for Indian country,” he said.

Daines had Several Recommendations for the new Team Owners

Daines offered several options to the team owners that would actually honor all Native Americans through the NFL.

“That effort might take several forms,” he said. “It might result in restoring the logo with a new team name that is supported by tribal leaders and will bring unity across communities. It could also be telling the story of the logo’s connection to the Wetzel family and honoring the native communities it represents.”

Click here to see the entire presentation from Senator Steve Daines, who is the ranking member of the U.S. Senate National Parks Committee.