On a day that featured a bizarre development regarding the ongoing Redskins name debate, a more conventional thing has happened.
A date finally has been set for the meeting between the NFL and Oneida Indian Nation.
Oneida spokesman Brett Stagnitti tells the Associated Press that the meeting has been scheduled for next Wednesday in New York City.
It’s unclear who will attend. It is clear that the meeting will legitimize the group that has opposed the Redskins name the most loudly.
The NFL and, more recently, the Redskins have adopted a position that both defends the name but also expresses willingness to listen to those opposed to it. It’s not a sustainable approach over the long haul, unless the opposition subsides.
Oneida Indian Nation has been consistent and persistent in its objection to the name, and it’s hard to imagine the league saying anything at Wednesday’s meeting that will prompt the group to drop the whole thing. It’s also hard to envision the NFL emerging from the meeting with the belief that the name shall change.
And so the only agreement that is likely is an agreement to continue to disagree, unless and until the opposition moves on to something else or enough people join in the movement to make changing the name the only fiscally responsible course of action.