The 'Washington' Football Tongue Twister

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NewsBusters' Geoffrey Dickens reported earlier that the Seattle Times has a policy against using the word "Redskins" when reporting on the team facing the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. All reporters for the paper are to refer to the team merely as "Washington," which, incidentally, is the name of the state.

In one article about Redskins running back Clinton Portis, the father of our country is used in a number of different, conflicting contexts.

Marcus Washington plays in a different Washington, but he still can sympathize with Seahawks who feel overlooked. This is because Washington finished with 93 tackles, 7 ½ sacks and one interception and, like the rest of the Washington defense, didn't make the Pro Bowl....

The biggest advantage Washington quarterback Mark Brunell sees from his days at the University of Washington? "That's one good thing about playing in Seattle all those years," he said, "you get used to throwing a wet ball."

The author of the article, Greg Bishop, told me they "don't use Redskins, per paper policy," and that it "makes for some interesting situations."