Cooperstown, N.Y. (AP) – The Oneida Indian Nation says it would help buy replacement school sports jerseys if the Cooperstown Redskins change their nickname.
Students of the combined middle and high school in the upstate village voted this month on names to replace the Redskins nickname. The vote was prompted by students who found the current nickname offensive to American Indians.
Ray Halbritter, the Oneida Nation's representative, told Cooperstown Central School students this week in a letter that their decision was courageous.
Halbritter says the nation, whose current territory is about 50 miles northwest of Cooperstown, would be honored to help buy the district new athletic jerseys.
The local school board is seeking input from the community before it makes a final decision. Possible new nicknames include Deerslayers, Hawkeyes and Pathfinders.
