Statue Of Former Redskins Owner George Preston Marshall Removed From RFK

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium opened in 1961 and was home to The Washington Washington Football Team until 1997 and became the temporary home of The Washington Nationals Baseball team in 2005.

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

The statue of former Washington Washington Football Team owner George Preston Marshall was removed outside of RFK Stadium on Friday morning.

Marshall owned the franchise from its inception in 1932 until he died in 1969. The team began in Boston as the Braves in 1932 and was renamed the Washington Football Team a year later when it shared Fenway Park with the Red Sox. Marshall moved the franchise to his hometown of Washington, D.C., in 1937.

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Events DC is in charge of RFK Stadium, removed the statue. Their chairman of the Events DC board of directors, Max Brown, and the president and CEO Greg O’Dell released a joint statement explaining the removal.https://twitter.com/TheEventsDC/status/1273992262150770694

“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,” the statement read. “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.”

“We recognize that we can do better and act now,” they said. “We’ve heard from many of our stakeholders in the community, and we thank you. Allowing the memorial to remain on the RFK Campus goes against Events DC’s values of inclusion and equality and is a disturbing symbol to many in the city we serve.”

Marshall refused to integrate his team until the government threatened to bar the team from playing at RFK Stadium (which was then known as District of Columbia Stadium) if it remained all-white.

In 1961, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle got involved in trying to persuade Marshall to integrate, and that December Marshall drafted black running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis with the first pick. It was later revealed that Marshall had traded the selection to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for running back/wide receiver Bobby Mitchell, who became Washington’s first black player in 1962.

The Washington Football Team did not have any comment on the removal of Marshall’s statue. Owner Dan Snyder, who has long maintained that he will not change the team’s controversial name, gave all his employees the day off Friday in honor of Juneteenth.

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George Preston Marshall Statue Removed From D.C. Stadium was originally published on theteam980.com

Statue Of Former Redskins Owner George Preston Marshall Removed From RFK

George Preston Marshall Statue Removed From D.C. Stadium

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