When the Washington Redskins travel to play the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 2, they could be doing so without one notable thing: their nickname.
The University of Minnesota is trying to work with the Vikings to remove the word "Redskins" from any materials for the matchup later this year, according to The Washington Post. A U.S. congresswoman is involved in the matter, too.
As part of the team's new stadium plan in the Twin Cities and the demolition of the Metrodome, the Vikings will play all of their home games at the Minnesota Golden Gophers' TCF Bank Stadium for the next two seasons. With Washington coming into town for a regular season game this year, the school's president is taking a stand against the controversial nickname of the franchise.
"We take the issue very seriously, but we're just getting ready for our season and we've been very focused on training camp and the preseason, and to be honest, we don't have a game plan for our Nov. 2 game versus Washington," Lester Bagley, the Vikings' executive vice president of public affairs, told The Post.
The issue came to light in early August when the University of Minnesota's president, Eric Kaler, responded to a letter from U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum. McCollum originally sent Vikings owner Zygi Wilf a letter condemning the use of the word Redskins and urging the two parties to work together to remove its use later this year.
The Post notes that McCollum alleges the use of the term at the stadium would violate the university's Board of Regents' policy.
"The time for debate has ended -- the name of the Washington franchise is clearly an offensive racial slur," McCollum wrote to Wilf. "I urge you, as an NFL team owner, to not remain silent on this matter any longer."
It's unknown what, if any, progress there has been between the franchise and the university to address McCollum's concerns for the game against the Redskins.
The Vikings host the Oakland Raiders on Friday in their first preseason game at TCF Bank Stadium. The Golden Gophers open their season a few weeks later on Aug. 28 against Eastern Illinois.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
