George Preston Marshall monument removed from outside RFK Stadium
A monument of Washington Redskins founder George Preston Marshall was removed from outside of RFK Stadium on Friday.
"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 board of directors chairman at Events DC, said in a statement, according to John Keim of ESPN. "We believe that injustice and inequality of all forms is reprehensible and we are firmly committed to confronting unequal treatment and working together toward healing our city and country."
Events DC is currently in charge of RFK Stadium, and its monument was spray-painted overnight. The Redskins played at the stadium from 1961 to 1996 before moving to FedEx Field.
Today, Events DC removed the George Preston Marshall Memorial Statue at RFK Stadium. Read our full statement here https://t.co/2UPQtNMtuS
- Events DC (@TheEventsDC) June 19, 2020
@eventsdcprez @EventsDCChair pic.twitter.com/LCH0LcQ6v3
Crews are presently removing the rest of the George Preston Marshall memorial at RFK pic.twitter.com/5W9919SMDu
- Rick Maese (@RickMaese) June 19, 2020
Marshall refused to sign black players during most of his 37-season tenure with the Redskins. While black players started to join pro football in the 1940s, the Redskins held out until 1962 before signing a black athlete.
Marshall, who died in 1969 at the age of 72, relocated the Redskins to Washington from New England in 1937, five years after he was granted a football franchise. The Redskins won two championships during his ownership reign, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
The Carolina Panthers also relocated a statue of founder and former owner Jerry Richardson last week.
The sports world took to social media on Friday to celebrate Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Several teams and the NFL league offices recognized the date as a paid holiday in support of the black community. That comes following widespread global protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
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