'Times Have Changed And It's Time For A Change In Washington': Jerome Bettis Voices Support For Changing The Washington Redskins' Name
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis weighed in on the Washington Redskins' name and why it is time the team changes its name.
Bettis, known as "The Bus," made the comments during a Question and Answer session Friday.
"You don't realize that it's a derogatory name because you're not a Native American, so you don't understand the significance," Bettis said. "It's much like as an African American man, a lot of people may not understand what some words mean and are offensive to me, to my culture. So it's the same exact situation. We weren't understanding, and probably a little bit of being naive or disingenuous and not wanting to really know, but I think times have changed and it's time for a change in Washington."
Bettis played as a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1993 to 2005.