CBS Sports’ lead analyst may avoid ‘Redskins’ on TV

With the kickoff of NFL’s regular season less than three weeks away, CBS Sports’ lead analyst and former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms announced on Monday that he is considering calling the Washington Redskins only “Washington” when he covers the team’s game against the New York Giants in September.

CBS Sports made headlines in July when its president, Sean McManus, decided that the CBS Sports announcers can individually choose to use the term “Redskins” or not. Simms, despite his decision, said he is not taking sides in the controversy over whether the mascot is racist or offensive.

The nationwide debate over “Redskins” has been escalating in the past year. The University of Minnesota is trying to block the use of the team’s name at its stadium for the upcoming season, while newspapers and politicians have refused to recognize the team by the name. In June, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled 2-1 that the name is “disparaging of Native Americans” and that it must be canceled.