Donte Whitner believes the Washington NFL team should change its team name, as well as the Cleveland Indians.
Programming note: Watch "Race in America: A Candid Conversation" on at Friday, July 10 at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports Bay Area.
A major change could be coming to two storied franchises. Washington's NFL team and the Cleveland Indians might have new team names in the near future.
Washington stated Friday morning that the "team will undergo a thorough review" of its team name, and the Indians followed suit. Donte Whitner hopes both changes happen.
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"I'm for changing the names," Whitner said on "Race In America: A Candid Conversation." "Cleveland Indians, that's offensive. The Indians, they were done very dirty in the history of America. And the Redskins, I think the same thing.
"I think they should change the name."
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Whitner, who was a Pro Bowl safety for the 49ers and currently is an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, finished his 11-year career with Washington. He played 11 games and recorded 66 tackles and one forced fumble in 2016.
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Whitner also spoke on his experience with Washington's controversial owner, Dan Snyder.
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"Dan Snyder is under a lot of pressure right now," Whitner said. "People are pulling out or they're selling their stakes with the team, and rightfully so. A lot of people really didn't like Dan Snyder when I was there, so I can see why they're having those issues.
"But I do agree with the name changes, because it's offensive to a lot of people."