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Ron Rivera: Prior team name is used with “utmost respect”

The arrival of new ownership in Washington has dusted off references to the retired team name. Since the sale from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris closed, both Harris and limited partner Magic Johnson have used the name that was abandoned three years ago, after more than a decade of pressure based on the fact that, over time, the name had become a dictionary-defined slur.

On Friday, coach Ron Rivera was asked about the fact that the name is suddenly being used again.

“Well I know this, Mr. Harris and that ownership group talked extensively about bringing back the glory,” Rivera said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “And again, what Coach Gibbs did, the traditions, that alumni group of guys that are around. It’s hard to escape it. It really is. That’s just the truth of the matter. Just so everybody knows, we do that with the utmost respect for the native tribes and for the American Indian. Anytime that’s brought up, it is brought up with the utmost of respect.”

But that’s the same argument that was used to justify the name itself. It’s a sign of respect. It’s used in a positive way. It’s not offensive. It’s not a slur.

If it’s a slur as the current name, it’s a slur as the former name.

Although the hatred for Snyder has given Harris and his partners the ability to do pretty much whatever they want and be applauded for it, they’re casually and nonchalantly using a slur, regardless of the motivation, the intent, or the message. Obviously, Rivera isn’t going to press his luck this early in the relationship by telling his new bosses that a slur is still a slur.

But a slur still is a slur. And it’s hard not to wonder whether Harris and company are floating said slur as a trial balloon, possibly with the idea of fully “bringing back the glory” by eventually bringing back the name.