If you thought the Washington Redskins recently had changed their team name, we can’t blame you.
The Rising Hearts Coalition, a group of Native advocates, came up with an elaborate prank that led many people to believe Washington had altered its controversial nickname. Thanks to a number of faux articles and websites that mirrored major publications, it seemed as though the “Washington Redhawks” became the newest NFL team name.
There's an elaborate hoax going around about the Washington Redskins changing their name to the Redhawks. Someone made fake WaPo, ESPN, SI and Bleacher Report pages for it (the urls are all wrong) pic.twitter.com/KoadRYdwjX
— Eric Morrow (@morroweric) December 13, 2017
In fact, the hoax gained so much traction that the Redskins — yes, the Redskins — issued a statement regarding the issue Wednesday afternoon.
Statement from the Washington #Redskins pic.twitter.com/u3DQJFiFXi
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 13, 2017
We’re not sure which bird is more intimidating: a Redhawk or a Seahawk?
