NFL's Commanders pledge to honor logo with Blackfeet ties

The famous and defunct football logo of an American Indian chief used at the urging of a Blackfeet Nation tribal leader could make an appearance on a throwback jersey in the future — for example — or in a sports arena.

Nothing is set in stone, but Ryan Wetzel said Tuesday he feels confident a concrete plan will emerge to honor his grandfather’s legacy having worked during the course of a year with the Washington Commanders and the National Football League thanks to the support of U.S. Sen. Steve Daines.

“It’s exciting to even have that conversation after they said it (the logo) would be gone forever,” Wetzel said.

The logo was used for nearly 50 years by the Washington “Redskins.” The team name was dropped in 2020 and is considered racist, but the Wetzel family of Montana hasn’t wanted the logo to disappear with it.

A Native American Studies professor at the University of Montana said a vocal minority in Montana are proponents of the use of mascots, especially for the Washington team. She said it’s important to both respect their opinions and understand the detrimental psychological effects of mascots on youth.

Tuesday, the office of Sen. Daines said a plan to honor the American Indian chief logo inspired by the late Blackfeet Tribal chairman Blackie Wetzel took a step forward in a U.S. Senate committee the same day.

More than one year ago, House Resolution 4984 was proposed to transfer jurisdiction of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia, in part to develop a new stadium.

ESPN earlier reported the Washington Commanders supported the measure. In August, the Associated Press reported the owners were hoping to use the RFK site for a new stadium, but needed the Senate to sign off on the deal.

Daines, however, pledged to block the transfer until the Washington Commanders and the NFL worked with the Wetzel family to find a way to honor their legacy and Native American communities — and the Washington Post reported Daines could hold up the resolution on his own.

Tuesday, however, Daines, a Republican, was among 17 senators who voted in support of the measure in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sending it to the full Senate with just two no votes, according to a count provided by his office.

“I urge the team to continue their dialogue and reach a conclusion that honors their past, honors Don Wetzel’s vision to use the logo to help Indian Country and honors the will of the Blackfeet Tribe to restore the logo to a place of honor and prominence,” Daines said in a statement; Don Wetzel is Blackie Wetzel’s son.

The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council could not be reached for comment by phone Tuesday, and a voicemail was full; Wetzel, however, said the council has supported the effort.

In 1971, Blackie Wetzel, also once president of the National Congress of American Indians, had urged the coach of the Washington team to use a logo that represented Indian Country, Daines said in an earlier Senate subcommittee meeting.

At Wetzel’s encouragement, the team used an image based on the profile of Chief Two Guns White Calf.

Annjeanette Belcourt, professor and chair of Native American Studies at UM, said the use of mascots is controversial, and scholarly literature in mental health indicates the mascots have negative effects on the self esteem of Native youth.

“That’s something I’m quite concerned about,” said Belcourt, who is also Blackfeet and a clinical psychologist.

Belcourt said she wasn’t saying this logo in particular will cause harm, but she said mascots are complex. She said Montana has “severe health disparities,” with high suicide rates for Native youth and disadvantages in education.

“The issue is, when we advance objectified, stereotypic tropes, they become ingrained in people’s consciousness as being representative of Native people,” Belcourt said.

In the meantime, she said, many positive models are available in the area of arts, sciences and literature. Belcourt pointed to actor Lily Gladstone as one example, a Blackfeet actor who starred in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar.

The U.S. has more than 570 federally recognized tribes, she said, representing a lot of diversity. A Native person can be gay or goth or a contemporary artist or a scholar, she said — complexity a mascot misses.

“When we have something seen every single Sunday as the sole image of an entire population of people that is so complex and rich and diverse, that in and of itself influences the way people see themselves,” Belcourt said.

Despite the controversy, Blackie’s son, the late Don Wetzel, and now his grandson, Ryan, have advocated for the proud and prominent use of the logo, and Don talked with Daines about the idea three years ago.

“He (Don Wetzel) had a vision to use the proud symbol to benefit his people,” Daines said in remarks to the committee Tuesday provided by his office. “This morning, I spoke to his son, Ryan Wetzel, about the ongoing negotiations and the progress that has been made …

“I am proud to say, after speaking with my constituents, that they are satisfied with the ongoing negotiations with the team and feel optimistic about the direction that they are heading. Therefore, I will support the bill and vote in favor of its passage out of committee with the condition that the team follows through on the commitments made to the family.”

The resolution will need approval from the full Senate.

“That is helping our Indian people throughout the state and nationally,” Ryan Wetzel said. “So today is a good day for sure.”