Monuments Removed at Stadiums in Washington and Minneapolis

“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,” Max Brown, the Events DC chairman, said in a statement.

Marshall moved the team to Washington from Boston, where they had been known as the Braves, in 1937. His team was the last in the league to sign a black player, doing so in 1962 only after heavy pressure from the federal government, which threatened to revoke the team’s lease on its stadium.

Marshall also presided over the changing of the team nickname to Redskins. The franchise’s current owner, Daniel Snyder, has resisted calls to change it despite widespread sentiment that the name is racist. Many Washington fans, but not all, still support the name.

Marshall is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the team’s own Ring of Fame.

The removal of the memorial to Marshall, who died in 1969, comes at a time when statues and monuments around the country of figures with racist pasts are being criticized, re-examined and sometimes removed.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/sports/baseball/statue-removed-rfk-twins.html