English rugby club to scrap Native American branding

By KEN MAGUIRE
AP Sports Writer

A leading English rugby club has joined the ranks of professional sports teams rebranding themselves away from offensive Native American imagery. Exeter Chiefs are keeping their nickname — inspired by the region’s Celtic history — but are replacing their logo after critics complained that headdresses and “tomahawk chop” chants were dehumanizing. The rebranding is the result of a public campaign that picked up steam amid wider social justice efforts such as the Black Lives Matter movement that has seen the toppling of statues and renaming of schools. Exeter CEO Tony Rowe says, “We decided the time is right to move on and change. We’ve listened. We’ve taken onboard everything that people said.”