Memorials to the racist former owners of the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Twins are removed [View all]

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Memorials to the racist former owners of the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Twins are removed
CNN Expansion NYC 2017 PH: JOHN NOWAK Paul Murphy
By Paul P. Murphy, CNN

Updated 8:12 PM ET, Fri June 19, 2020

(CNN) -- A monument to the former owner of the Washington Redskins and a statue of the former owner of the Minnesota Twins were removed Friday because of the men's racist pasts, the Washington sports authority and the Twins organization said.

The Minnesota Twins removed a statue honoring Calvin Griffith from outside the team's ballpark. In Washington, DC, the city's convention and sports authority, Events DC, removed a monument to Redskins franchise founder George Preston Marshall from outside Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The Redskins played at RFK Stadium before moving to FedEx Field in Prince George's County, Maryland.



Calvin Griffith, president of the Minnesota Twins, sits in the press box at Metropolitan Stadium in 1965.

"This symbol of a person who didn't believe all men and women were created equal and who actually worked against integration is counter to all that we as people, a city, and nation represent," Events DC Chairman Max Brown, President and CEO Greg O'Dell and their Board of Directors said in a statement. "Removing this statue is a small and an overdue step on the road to lasting equality and justice."

CNN has reached out to the Washington Redskins and the NFL for comment on Marshall's monument being removed. The team and the league have been criticized for years by Native American groups and others for continuing to have "Redskins" in the name.

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