Redskins Address the Name Issue (But Not Directly) As a response to a festering controversy, this is an odd one. The Washington Redskins' team name, long criticized by many, recently prompted the mayor of the District of Columbia to say that the name would have to be discussed if the Redskins were to pursue a move to the district from their current home in Landover, Md. Now, the team has launched a series of stories on its own Web site, Redskins.com, designed, it seems, to defend the name by writing about how proud many high schools are to call themselves Redskins. One recent installment appeared Tuesday with an interview of the athletic director from McLoud High School in Pottawatomie County, Okla. Earlier in the week, there was a similar entry from a high school in east central Ohio. Redskins.com says that 70 high schools in 25 states use the name "redskins" for their teams. "We have a large Native American population at our school," Redskins.com quoted Gary Hodde, the athletic director, as saying. I'm not sure if they know the whole history behind the nickname 'Redskins,' but our athletes are no different from any other schools. We are known as the McLoud Redskins, and that's what we proudly display on our jerseys and cheers. No one has ever been dishonored at our school with that Redskins nickname. The installments do not directly address what the Washington Redskins think of the controversy and Tony Wyllie, the team's top public relations official, did not respond to requests for comment about it on Wednesday. But owner Dan Snyder, who grew up in the Washington area as a fan of the Redskins and bought the team in 1999, has not previously expressed a desire to reconsider the name. This, then, would seem to be the Redskins' roundabout answer. The controversy over the name of Washington's team has flared up occasionally and was most recently reignited when Mayor Vincent C. Gray said in January that he would love to sit down with the team to see if a change should be made. "There's a precedent for this and I think there needs to be a dispassionate discussion about this and do the right thing," Gray said. Gray, though, has since backed off those comments in an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors, saying his original statement was meant to point out that the name could make more difficult the task of winning federal approval for a new stadium for the team, because the likely stadium site - where the old RFK Stadium, the former team home now used by the D.C. United soccer team, stands - is federal property. "The point I was trying to make at the time was . . . it's sitting on federal land," Gray told The Post. You know that issue will come up if that's the proposal, to build the stadium there. That was the point I was making. There has been precedent for changing a team name in Washington. In 1995, the late owner of the Washington Bullets, Abe Pollin, announced that they would be renamed because of his concern over the name's association with gun violence. A vote of fans selected the new name - the Wizards. But even when they were most successful, the Bullets/Wizards have never held the place in local hearts that the Redskins have. During his state of the league press conference before the Super Bowl, Commissioner Roger Goodell sidestepped a question from a Washington Post reporter about his feelings about the name. "Growing up in Washington, I do understand the affinity for that name with the fans," Goodell said. I also understand the other side of that. I don't think anybody wants to offend anybody. This has been discussed several times over a long period of time. I think Dan Snyder and the organization have made it very clear that they're proud of that heritage and that name and I believe fans are, too.