FARGO, N.D. — A conservative-leaning Native American organization known for pushing to defend mascots sometimes considered racist launched a series of lawsuits against the Washington Commanders football team and employees with the organization.
The Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) filed three lawsuits Monday in the U.S. District Court of North Dakota. One accuses Commanders employee Matthew Laux of defamation. Another accuses Commanders owner Josh Harris and the National Congress of American Indians of civil conspiracy. The last accuses Harris of conspiracy to violate civil rights.
The lawsuits stem from the way the Washington football team changed its name from the “Redskins” prior to the 2020 NFL season.
Harris said the team’s name change was because it was “offensive,” and he pointed out he worked with the National Congress of American Indians to reach that conclusion.
NAGA wants the team to change its name back to the Redskins. The group argued the name isn’t offensive, rather it honored the traditions of Native Americans.
“NAGA’s members were huge Redskin fans precisely because they were the Redskins,” the lawsuit states. “It was the only team in the National Football League (NFL) to honor an actual Native American. They were proud to watch professional football players engage in a different kind of battle, with the stoic face of Chief White Calf on their helmets. They were honoring his courage as well as the bravery, strength, and fearlessness embedded in their history.”
NAGA is a nonprofit organization which says its mission is to ensure that Native Americans’ “rich history remains alive in the hearts and minds of all Americans.”
They have outlined a petition requesting Harris to change the team’s name back to the “Washington Redskins.” In the lawsuit, NAGA mentioned that this petition has received over 130,000 signatures but there has been no statement or acknowledgement from the Commanders.
NAGA feels that, “Harris erased [Chief White Calf] and had his employee defame NAGA to luxury ticket box owners.”
At the time of the name change, NCAI said it was “a meaningful first step toward the Commanders owning the history of its former name and taking accountability for the unspeakable harm caused to tribal citizens after decades of racism and erasure.”
In a statement, the group also called on the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Braves to follow in the footsteps of the Commanders and Guardians in removing their Native-inspired mascots.
While many think the Redskin name was offensive to Native American culture NAGA argues “the name ‘Redskins’ carries deep cultural, historical, and emotional significance, honoring the bravery, resilience, and warrior spirit associated with Native American culture. It was never intended as a derogatory or offensive term but as a symbol of respect and admiration.”
The name change, according to NAGA, disregards the positive legacy that the Redskin name has built over many years.
Around Aug. 30, the Commanders told Fox News “[f]or nearly 90 years, this franchise had a different name, and many have fond memories of cheering for that team and watching it win three Super Bowls. This does not signify any shift in our approach nor does it change the valid reasons for dropping the name.”
NAGA also has claimed that NCAI is an organization “run by the powerful” and does not speak for Native Americans.
Commanders’ employee Matthew Laux is listed in the lawsuit, accused of defamation, after allegedly calling NAGA a fake group. “Reading between the lines, Laux was attacking the very identity of NAGA’s members. He was calling them “fake” Native Americans. He attacked their very souls. Laux took a page right from the Commanders playbook: selective racism,” the lawsuit states.
Between the three lawsuits, NAGA is seeking a total of $1,600,000 in damages.
