COPPELL — When your football team goes undefeated for three years, you're certainly making a statement.
"Nobody wants to be the 'Redskins,' so there were some eyebrows," said Hunt Bonneau, who coaches a fifth grade YMCA team in Coppell.
Especially in Cowboys country. But go in wearing the Redskins logo and you're making a louder statement.
The name has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent years.
"This is not something that people should be ashamed of. It's actually a badge of honor for most Native Americans," Hunt said, adding that he chose the name in silent protest, but never wanted to make a big deal out of it.
"There's always a minor special interest group, a very small number of people that want to protest something because they're sensitive," he said.
Yolonda Blue Horse is on the other end, fighting the use of the Redskins name.
"It is considered an offensive word to a group of people. It is offensive," said the full-blood Native American.
She told WFAA that she shares affiliation with three tribes: Sioux, Shoshoni, and Arapaho. Blue Horse helped lead the protests outside the Cowboys-Redskins game on Sunday.
"I don't say that name if I don't need to. The 'R-word' is equivalent to the 'N-word,'" she said.
Blue Horse hopes the rallies force people to educate themselves on the origins of the name. She appeals to people to see the historical context.
But the Coppell coach says the same thing. Hunt asks that people do their own research on how the team came to choose that name. He even wrote a letter of support to Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder.
"I tell him what we think about what he's going through," Hunt said.
Snyder sent back two duffel bags filled with sweatshirts, shirts, wristbands, wallets and other gear for his players.
Blue Horse sees the team's name as a setback to her mission of trying to eradicate the term.
"It's not just a mascot name; it means to us… more than that," she said.
As fifth graders, the Coppell Redskins are likely too young to worry about the debate over a name.
"They just want to play football," Hunt said. "All they asked is if they could remain Dallas Cowboys fans, and I said 'Yes'"
