Members of Congress push for Redskins' name change

Members of Congress are diving into the debate over the name Redskins. Ten of them sent a letter to every team in the NFL pushing for a name change, saying Redskins is derogatory toward Native Americans.

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder says he'll never change the team's name. (USATSI)

Ten members of Congress want owner Daniel Snyder to reconsider his pledge never to change the Redskins’ name.

The representatives sent letters to Snyder, Commissioner Roger Goodell, Redskins sponsor FedEx and the other 31 NFL franchises, the Associated Press reports.

"Native Americans throughout the country consider the `R-word' a racial, derogatory slur akin to the `N-word' among African-Americans or the `W-word' among Latinos,” the letter states, according to the AP.

Leaders of the Congressional Native American Caucus -- Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Betty McCollum, D-Minn. -- were among those sending the letter.

A lawsuit challenging the Redskins’ trademark protection continues to hang over the team, but Snyder vows to keep the name regardless.

"We will never change the name of the team,” he told USA Today recently. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season.”