State Lawmakers Call For Teams To Stop Using Racial Slurs

A group of state legislators, including Senator Joseph Griffo, are introducing a resolution calling for professional sports teams to stop using dictionary-defined racial slurs as mascots.

The resolution will be circulated this week in the state Senate and Assembly.

Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter joined the lawmakers in Albany today.

It’s incredibly heartening to see a bipartisan group of New York political leaders united in opposition to derogatory mascots in professional sports,” he said. “We sincerely thank these leaders for their courageous stand pointing out that offensive slurs should be immediately relegated to the dustbin of history.”

Halbritter and the Oneida Nation are behind the "Change the Mascot" campaign to get the NFL's Washington Redskins to drop their nickname.