Steve Daines: “I rise today to talk about the need to right a wrong. The National Football League and the Washington Commanders must do…”

“I rise today to talk about the need to right a wrong. The National Football League and the Washington Commanders must do more to honor the Commanders' Native American heritage, as powerfully symbolized by the team's former iconic logo, and they must commit to never ever again censor it or degrade it. Here is the story. This is a photograph from the 1960s of Blackie Wetzel and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Blackie Wetzel was a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and served his people and the country in many roles throughout his life, including chairman of the Blackfeet Tribe and president of the National Congress of American Indians. In 1971, Blackie met with George Herbert Allen, who was then the head coach and the general manager of Washington's premiere professional sports franchise, the Washington Redskins. Knowing that Coach Allen admired and supported Native Americans, Blackie Wetzel encouraged him to replace the team's ``R'' logo with something that represented Indian Country. Blackie brought Coach Allen pictures of prominent Native American figures, including Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf, who is pictured here on this poster board beside me. On behalf of the team, Coach Allen adopted the now legendary logo that became the symbol of this storied franchise and among one of the most popular in league history. Make no mistake, this logo was inspired, it was envisioned by Blackie Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans.…”