An alliance of American Indian activists started several online webpages disguised as real news outlets Wednesday, falsely claiming that the Washington Redskins have changed their controversial team name to the Redhawks because of political pressure. Ton Wyllie, the Redskins’ senior vice president of communications, said in a statement Wednesday morning that the name is still the Washington Redskins and will remain that way for the foreseeable future. The campaign included five different pages and a Twitter account. The links were shared widely on social media, and one site closely resembled the Redskins’ official website. The other sites resemble news organizations like The Washington Post, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report. The group plans to hold a press conference on Thursday in Washington and a rally Sunday, when the Redskins play the Arizona Cardinals.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
