The controversy surrounding the monicker of the Washington Redskins continued to gain momentum on Tuesday as two leading NFL TV game announcers vowed not to refer to the team's long-time name which many consider an offensive slur to Native Americans.
Announcers Phil Simms and Tony Dungy said they refuse to continue mentioning Washington's monicker since it degrades Native Americans.

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 A Hall of Fame quarterback with the New York Giants in his prime, Simms is CBS Sports' top NFL analyst. He will call the Giants-Redskins game on Sept. 25.
Simms said he would refer to the team as Washington only due to the sensitive nature of the name many consider racist. Not having given the name much thought over the years, Simms said recent debates over the name caused him to consider its implications and take the stance.
Tony Dungy, a prominent NFL broadcaster now with NBC Sports as studio analyst, said he would refer to the team only as Washington. Dungy won a Superbowl as a cornerback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978 and as coach of the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. He said it was his own decision and not based on orders of his network.
CBS and NBC are allowing on-air commentators the option of what to call the team as is Fox, the network airing most of Washington's games. ESPN said it would call teams by the nicknames they used.
Battle lines among commentators, however, are being drawn
Fox lead analyst, Hall of Fame former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, said he would continue calling the team the Redskins. So did Jim Nantz, CBS lead play-by-play broadcaster.
Former Bears and Saints coach Mike Ditka, of ESPN, said he would call the team by its nickname as did Solomon Wilcots who will announce the Washington-Jacksonville game on CBS during the second game of the season. Partner Spero Dedes indicated he wouldn't use the nickname.
Influential NBC broadcaster Bob Costas said the term 'Redskins' was offensive and couldn't possibly honor anybody's heritage. ESPN star Keith Olbermann has conducted an almost nightly round of criticism directed toward use of the name.
The California Assembly on Monday voted 49-5 urging the NFL to change the name. Fifty U.S. senators sent a letter in May to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asking that the team change its name. In an unprecedented move in June, the U.S. Patent Office revoked the team's trademarks saying the name was disparaging to Native Americans.
The Boston Globe, Seattle Times, Orange County Register, San Francisco Chronicle, Kansas City Star, Portland Oregonian, and many other news outlets, have said they won't use the name.
The NCAA outlawed use of Native American nicknames in 2005, but allowed Florida State to continue being called the Seminoles due to an agreement between the school and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
However, Washington team owner Daniel Snyder steadfastly refuses to change the name saying it's a tradition meant to honor Native Americans along with signifying continuity in the football franchise. 

TagsWashington Redskins, NFL, footbsll, Native American, Sports, daniel snyder, CBS, NBC, FOX, phil simms, tony dungy, TV, dan snyder