Report: Major retailers pull Washington Redskins products

An e-tail giant and two leading discounters are among the retailers reportedly removing merchandise associated with the Washington Redskins NFL team.

According to CNBC, Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Nike have all said they will halt sales of licensed products with the Washington Redskins name or logo. The team’s name is considered an ethnic slur against Native Americans, and the NFL has publicly called for a change to the name in time for the fall 2020 season. 

Redskins ownership says it is currently reviewing the name and possible alternative team monikers. The situation is similar to the decision by major retailers including Walmart, eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Spencer Gifts, and Sears to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise in summer 2015.

CNBC cites a notice Amazon sent to its third-party sellers stating, “With the announcement from the Washington team and the NFL, we are removing products with the team’s name and logo from our stores. Failure to properly close or delete all restricted product listings from your inventory may result in deactivation.”

Sellers reportedly have 48 hours to remove Redskins merchandise from their Amazon storefronts. Amazon confirmed to CNBC it is pulling the products.