The family of the Blackfeet chief whose face became one of the most recognizable logos in American sports wants a meeting with President Donald Trump to restore the Washington Redskins name and the image of their ancestor, the family's estate said this week.
Chief John Two Guns White Calf, born on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, was the inspiration for the 1971 logo created by Walter "Blackie" Wetzel — a portrait the franchise used until then-owner Daniel Snyder abruptly retired both the name and the image in 2020 under pressure from corporate sponsors and activist groups.
The family says nobody asked them. "They did not even ask our family for approval. They didn't ask for nothing from us. I mean, we literally got erased," historian Brock Conway told WTVR, as reported by Breitbart.
Estate lead Kenneth Conway put it more bluntly: "They tried to erase us, like we didn't exist anymore."
Morningstar Gopher, press and media relations for the Estate of Chief Two Guns White Calf, told the Washington Examiner that the family has formally requested a meeting with the president, according to a press release posted to LinkedIn on Oct. 12. "We want the name and logo restored with our family's direct participation and blessing, and the new stadium named the John Two Guns White Calf Memorial Stadium — the first NFL stadium ever named for a Native American," Gopher said.
Gopher told the Examiner the 2020 change came at a moment when Snyder was "going through a professional crisis" and "that moment was used."
The family and its nonprofit group, Nationz2Nations, are hosting a cultural showcase in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20, according to event details cited by the Examiner. The event will include a "direct meeting with the franchise leadership" to discuss restoring the chief's image. "We're hopeful for a meeting with President Trump in order to help get this pushed forward," Gopher said.
The D.C. Examiner flagged the family's campaign in a post on X: "Descendants of the Blackfeet chief who inspired the NFL team Washington Redskins are urging President Donald Trump to restore the name and image of their ancestor."
Trump has publicly signaled support for the old name. Breitbart notes the president said last year he would delay or disrupt the franchise's stadium-building process if the name were not restored. The team currently plays as the Washington Commanders.
Gopher framed the stadium proposal as a political win as well: "It would be a big win in his pocket in terms of helping the Native people in securing the first-ever NFL stadium named after a Native American."
Breitbart reported that Native Americans overwhelmingly either supported the Redskins name or did not mind it — a point the family has made central to its case. Gopher told the Examiner the fight is about ending "invisibility."
"He was such a leader, and he had a hold on the National Football League for 50 years," she said.
It is not yet known whether the White House has responded to the meeting request, and the Commanders have not publicly commented on the November showcase or the restoration proposal. The family's push comes six years after the name was retired, and as the franchise moves toward a new stadium deal in the D.C. area — leverage the president has already suggested he is willing to use.
Our Take
Here's the part the legacy media will skip: the people who were supposedly offended by the Redskins name were never the ones who got to decide. The men who killed it were sponsors and activists, and the family that the logo actually honored was left out of the room. Now they're asking the one man in Washington who doesn't bow to corporate pressure to put it back.
The Commanders name has been a bust since day one. Fans in D.C. still call the team the Redskins. A stadium named for Chief Two Guns White Calf would be a genuine honor to a real American — not a manufactured controversy engineered by people looking for a payout. Trump has already said he'll use the stadium process as leverage. Good. The family deserves their meeting, the fans deserve their history back, and the NFL deserves to be reminded who actually pays the bills.
