Amazon is pulling Washington Redskins merchandise from its website, joining a handful of other major companies, including Target and Walmart, in discontinuing the sale of the NFL team’s products amid racial justice protests.
Amazon sent a note to sellers on Wednesday that they are required to remove the team’s merchandise from the site, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS News. The Seattle-based company made the decision following the team’s announcement last week that it is undergoing a “thorough review” of its name.
On Wednesday, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson sent a letter to the company requesting that it halt the sale of the team’s products, both by the site and third parties. He also called on the retailer to remove any additional merchandise featuring offensive caricatures of Indigenous people, including Cleveland Indians merchandise. The MLB team recently said it would also consider a possible name change.
“We commend Amazon for taking this swift action to support this long overdue change,” Ferguson tweeted after Amazon made the decision.
The team and the NFL have faced years of mounting pressure to rebrand, and recent protests have sparked renewed interest in the name, which is considered a racial slur against Native Americans.
After FedEx, the title sponsor of the team’s stadium, urged the team to change its name last week, owner Dan Snyder, who has previously resisted the change, said he would consider it. PepsiCo and Bank of America also encouraged the change.
Following the announcement, Walmart announced that it is discontinuing all products that reference that team’s name and logo. Target confirmed to CBS News on Thursday that it is doing the same.
“We have been talking to the NFL and sharing our concerns regarding the name of the Washington team,” Nike told CBS News on Thursday. “We are pleased to see the team taking a first step towards change.”
“This moment has been 87 years in the making, and we have reached this moment thanks to decades of tireless efforts by tribal leaders, advocates, citizens, and partners to educate America about the origins and meaning of the R-word,” National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp said Friday. “NCAI looks forward to immediately commencing discussions with the league and team about how they will change the team’s name and mascot, and a prompt timetable for doing so. Indian Country deserves nothing less. The time to change is now.”
