Spinning Racism: Redskins Paying Team Of Republican Advisers For Advice On Name Controversy

Washington Redskins helmet: Imagine if the team was called "The Jews" and the
helmet featured a caricature of a man wearing a yamaka. (Photo by Keith Allison)

By Travis Waldron

The Washington Redskins are paying a team of high-profile consultants with ties to the Republican Party to advise the team on issues around its controversial name, a spokesperson for the team said in a statement to ThinkProgress on Friday. The spokesperson, vice president of communications Tony Wyllie, had previously denied that the team was paying the consultants when ThinkProgress learned of their involvement.

Emails obtained by ThinkProgress this week showed that the team consulted Republican messaging guru Frank Luntz, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, and former Republican governor and senator George Allen when asked about issues around the team’s name. Luntz runs Luntz Global, a communications firm. Fleischer runs Ari Fleischer Sports Communications. Allen, the brother of Redskins general manager and executive vice president Bruce Allen and son of former Redskins coach George Allen, runs the strategy firm George Allen Strategies.

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