Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and the Washington Commanders are in talks to establish their first meeting since the Montana Republican took his fight public to have the football team restore its old Redskins logo of a Native American chief.
Daines is blocking swift approval of a House-passed bill that would greenlight Washington, D.C., taking control of the federally owned land that is home to the abandoned RFK Stadium, which the Commanders and city officials want to use for a new stadium.
Daines is refusing to lift his hold unless the Commanders either revert to the old logo that the team used for nearly 50 years or take other action to honor the Montana family and tribe behind the logo’s inception.
“It’s all about restoring the honor and legacy of the logo, which is not a caricature,” Daines told the Washington Examiner. “It’s actually a great Blackfoot chief. I’m advocating on behalf of my constituents back in Montana.”
The logo, used by the Redskins from 1972-2020, was traded for the franchise’s current one at the same time the Commanders dropped the controversial former name. Designed in consultation with Montana’s Native American leaders, Walter “Blackie” Wetzel and the Blackfeet Tribe are credited with its creation.
Any one senator can prevent legislation from passing via unanimous consent, forcing leadership to either allocate several days of floor time and recorded votes or include the measure in a broader bill. The RFK Stadium bill cleared the House in February with overwhelming bipartisan support in a 348-55 vote.
Daines staffers met earlier this year on the subject with officials from the Commanders, the NFL, and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office. But Daines has doubled down on his blockade in recent days, including last week at a Senate hearing, which has prompted the Commanders to seek another meeting that is likely to occur in the coming weeks, according to a congressional aide.
The staffer described their engagement with the Commanders on reaching a resolution “productive” but emphasized a deal has yet to be achieved.
The team said it will “continue to engage to find a solution.”
“We have spoken directly with the Wetzel family and are working collaboratively to recognize Blackie Wetzel for his contributions in creating our former logo,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement.
Ryan Wetzel, Blackie Wetzel’s grandson, now carries the torch for the Wetzel family and his deceased grandfather as he advocates the Commanders to honor Blackie Wetzel’s decadeslong tie to the team, whether by the old logo or in another fashion.
Cutting ties with the Native American community after some five decades “left people hanging who took pride in that logo,” Ryan Wetzel told the Washington Examiner in an interview.
“Now that I’m old enough to be a part of this story and see the bigger picture, I don’t think people understood the connection with the logo and tribal affiliation,” Ryan Wetzel said. “It’s about just understanding the legacy of my grandfather. He was for the native people throughout the country, and that was the whole point of connecting the logo with the franchise. It was a point of pride.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Ryan Wetzel described his talks with the Commanders as in the “beginning stages” of trying to reach an acceptable solution but complimented team officials for being open-minded and engaging.
“These are hard places to live in Indian country, and to have the chance to have one of the biggest sports team backing and helping out, it’d be great,” he said.