A Montana senator is pushing for the return of the old Redskins logo as part of a Congressional bill that would grant Washington, D.C., long-term control of the RFK Stadium site, now being considered for a new stadium for the Washington Commanders.

Senator Daines has called on the current Commanders ownership and the NFL to “honor the pride, history, and heritage of the Blackfeet Tribe” by reinstating the old logo.

Mr. Daines argues that the logo, which was retired in 2020 amid economic pressure following the George Floyd protests, was a tribute to the Blackfeet Tribe. The term “Redskins” is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “used as an insulting and contemptuous term for an American Indian.”

The team, formerly known as the Redskins, changed its name to the Washington Football Team in 2020 before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022.

In prepared remarks for a hearing on the RFK legislation, obtained by WUSA9, Mr. Daines emphasized the significance of the old logo, which was based on Chief Two Guns White Calf, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe. According to Mr. Daines, Blackie Wetzel, a tribe member, met with then-owner George Allen and suggested using Chief Two Guns White Calf’s image as the team’s new logo in 1971.

Mr. Daines said he is not encouraging the team to bring back the Redskins name, just the logo.

“What I am demanding is straightforward,” Mr. Daines says. “That the new team leadership and the NFL sit down with the Wetzel family, with the Blackfeet, sit down with tribal leaders, and find a way to properly honor the history of the logo and heritage of our tribal nations, and to rededicate the organization as an advocate for Indian Country.”

“Make no mistake, this logo was inspired and envisioned by Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans,” Mr. Daines writes. “It is not a caricature. It is a description of pride and strength. Of courage and honor.”