An Native American group has initiated a defamation lawsuit against the National Football League’s (NFL) Washington Commanders, alleging that the franchise has tarnished the group’s reputation and its mission to restore the team’s name to “Redskins.” The lawsuit, filed in North Dakota Federal Court on behalf of the Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA), accuses the Commanders and their leadership of engaging in a “coordinated and willful effort” to defame NAGA through verbal and written references to the nonprofit organization as “fake.”
BREAKING: NFL team Washington Commanders have been sued by The Native American Guardians Association and are advocating that the team revert to their prior team name of "Redskins."
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) September 25, 2023
Chad Laveglia, the group’s attorney, stated, “This coordinated effort by the Commanders to defame NAGA in their attempt of cancel culture meets the legal requirements of defamation, among other damages. Given the Commanders are an NFL Team with extensive resources, a basic Google search that anyone can perform proves NAGA is, in fact, a legitimate entity. The Commanders’ alleged intent to defame and slander them is actionable. We are thankful for the whistleblowers that have come forward and we anticipate many more will.”
The Washington Commanders have been sued by The Native American Guardians Association, which have been trying to get the Commanders to change their name back to Redskins.
“The logo on the Redskin’s helmet is an actual person, it’s Chief White Calf. Every time they go out on that… pic.twitter.com/L0jpU8N4Et
— Grand Old Patriots🇺🇸 (@GrandOlPatriots) September 26, 2023
On August 7, 2023, NAGA sent a demand letter to the Washington Commanders and launched an online petition requesting an open dialogue with the team. The petition gained widespread attention, illustrating that Native Americans are not offended by the “Redskins” moniker. The Commanders, however, did not respond to NAGA’s letter or the petition from supportive fans. Instead, they allegedly launched a defamation campaign against NAGA, which included a statement of support from the Soros-funded National Congress of Indian Americans (NCAI), encouraging the cancel culture approach toward the historic team name.
“As we stated in our letter, NAGA is ‘For The People’ and this is the ‘line-in-the-sand’ moment — we are fighting against cancel culture for ALL AMERICANS. Native Americans have been the target the longest — we will fight fiercely to preserve our historic place in America — just like other figures and groups; however, we will not burn down our Nation or encourage any violence in our efforts, unlike others. America is simply not for sale to this epidemic of cancel culture and DEI initiatives — NAGA will continue to fight to defend Her,” declared NAGA President Eunice Davidson.
