Game day rally at U to draw crowds protesting NFL, DC team's mascot

Native American leaders and University of Minnesota students say they're expecting thousands of people to turn out for a protest against the Washington Redskins when the team plays the Vikings a week from Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Clyde Bellecourt, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, said the DC team's name is racist and offensive. Bellecourt expects a young group of protesters to gather outside the stadium to speak out against the name.

"We know that because we're on a university campus. We're organizing all the students," he said. "We've been doing a lot of radio, television, public relations, so we're expecting over 5,000 people."

The National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media is organizing the protest along with campus leaders.

Aubrey Strenger with the Black Law Students Association said the university, through its contract with the Vikings, should prohibit the use of the Washington team's name on campus.

"The University of Minnesota is such an influential educational body and they are in a particular place to affect change," Strenger said.

University of Minnesota officials have asked the Vikings to limit the use of the Washington team's name and logo during the game.

A statement posted on the U's website, said while the university "denounces the team name of the Washington team — and other sports team names that promote negative and harmful stereotypes — the University does not believe that it has the legal authority or contractual authority under the facility use agreement to prevent the game."

Amid the controversy, team owner Dan Snyder said in a recent letter to Washington's season ticket holders that the name is a "badge of honor."