D.C. government calls removing George Preston Marshall monument “overdue”

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Mar 20, 2019
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A monument to George Preston Marshall, the longtime owner of the Washington NFL team, was torn down outside RFK Stadium today. And the D.C. government, which owns and operates RFK Stadium, says it should have happened long ago.

In a statement released by Events D.C., the government said Marshall’s racism — which included keeping his team segregated well after the rest of the NFL had integrated — made him unfit for such a memorial.

“This morning, Events DC removed the George Preston Marshall memorial statue that stood out front of RFK Stadium,” the statement said. “This symbol of a person who didn’t believe all men and women were created equal and who actually worked against integration is counter to all that we as people, a city, and nation represent. We believe that injustice and inequality of all forms is reprehensible and we are firmly committed to confronting unequal treatment and working together toward healing our city and country.

“Removing this statue is a small and an overdue step on the road to lasting equality and justice. We recognize that we can do better and act now. We’ve heard from many of our stakeholders in the community, and we thank you. Allowing the memorial to remain on the RFK Campus goes against Events DC’s values of inclusion and equality and is a disturbing symbol to many in the city we serve.”

Marshall still has a monument in one prominent place: He has a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he was inducted as a contributor in 1963. The Hall of Fame has never removed a member, but there may soon be calls for Marshall to be the first.
 
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