WASHINGTON -- The NFL is prepared to meet with an Indian tribe pushing for the Washington Redskins to drop the teams nickname. [

WASHINGTON -- The NFL is prepared to meet with an Indian tribe pushing for the Washington Redskins to drop the teams nickname. Russell Westbrook Jersey . Just not this week. As league owners gathered Monday in the nations capital for their fall meetings, the Oneida Indian Nation held a symposium across town to promote their "Change the Mascot" campaign. Oneida representative Ray Halbritter said the NFL was invited to attend. Instead, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, a meeting has been scheduled for next month -- and could happen sooner. "We respect that people have differing views," McCarthy said. "It is important that we listen to all perspectives." He said the Redskins name is not on the agenda for the owners meetings. Redskins owner Dan Snyder has vowed to keep the name, and an AP-GfK poll conducted in April found that nearly 4 in 5 Americans dont think the team should change its name. Its a topic generating discussion lately, though. President Barack Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press last week that he would "think about changing" the teams name if he were the owner. Halbritter called that statement "nothing less than historic" and said the teams nickname is "a divisive epithet ... and an outdated sign of division and hate." Addressing the NFL, Halbritter said: "It is hypocritical to say youre Americas pastime but not represent the ideals of America." U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said the league and team are "promoting a racial slur" and "this issue is not going away." For years, a group of American Indians has tried to block the team from having federal trademark protection, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbias envoy to Congress, predicted Monday that effort eventually will succeed. "This name is going to go into the dustbin of history," she said. Lanny Davis, a lawyer who said hes been advising Snyder on the name issue for "at least several months," said in a telephone interview after the symposium: "The Washington Redskins support peoples feelings, but the overwhelming data is that Native Americans are not offended and only a small minority are." Davis also said the campaign is "showing selective attention" by focusing on the Redskins and not teams such as the NFLs Kansas City Chiefs, NHLs Chicago Blackhawks, or Major League Baseballs Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. Earlier, Halbritter was asked about those other nicknames. "The name of Washingtons team is a dictionary-defined, offensive racial epithet. Those other names arent," Halbritter said. "But there is a broader discussion to be had about using mascots generally." Players for the Redskins have remained mostly silent on the topic, including star quarterback Robert Griffin III, who recently called the debate "something way above my understanding." Some players approached in the locker room Monday avoided addressing the subject altogether. "Its really tough. And I mean this sincerely: I get both sides of the argument," guard Chris Chester said. "I see how it can offend some people, but I feel like the context that this organization has, theres no negative connotation. You wouldnt name your team something you didnt have respect for. At least I wouldnt. I mean, I understand, too, that it offends some people, so I sympathize with both sides." Andre Roberson Jersey .com) - Novak Djokovic captured a mens Open Era-record fifth Australian Open title on Sunday by defeating rival Andy Murray in the final in Melbourne. Patrick Patterson Jersey . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not. http://www.shopthunderstore.com/Cheap-Raymond-Felton-Thunder-Jersey/ . A top pitching prospect, one who the ball club is pinning some of its future hopes, takes the spot of a veteran who once was viewed as a future ace but who, to this point, hasnt realized his potential and may never.MIAMI -- It was arguably the signature moment of Alonzo Mournings career. He blocked a shot in the final minutes of Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals, then wriggled on the floor in what appeared to be celebration for a few seconds. Turns out, it was anger. Mourning was unimpressed by his chase-down block of Dallas Jason Terry with 8:55 left in the game where the Miami Heat would clinch their first NBA title. Instead, his memorable air-punching, arms-flailing reaction was borne from how Heat teammate Gary Payton had thrown the ball away seconds earlier and then argued with a referee at such a critical moment in the game. His fire was on full display in that moment. And it was that fire that led him to the Basketball Hall of Fame "So I had to sprint back to try to cover his butt for making that mistake, and I was mad," Mourning said. "Then I got up and I was like, Gary, what are you doing, man? Oh, I was mad. Maybe like two people really know why I was acting that way. The thing is, I was cursing Gary out. Thats what happened." After a career where he averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots, the 6-foot-10 Mourning will be part of the class enshrined in Springfield, Massachusetts on Friday night, when the surest bet in sports will be that his speech will exceed the 10-minute recommendation he was given for his remarks. "I think I deserve it," Mourning said, laughing. Few would disagree. He was a seven-time All-Star, is one of only eight players to win the defensive player of the year award at least twice, an Olympic gold medallist and has already had his No. 33 jersey retired by the Heat in a star-studded ceremony that went way longer than planned, slightly raising the ire of an Orlando Magiic team that wasnt planning on a never-ending halftime that night in 2009. Kyle Singler Jersey. "He had to be the first one to have his jersey retired by this franchise," Heat President Pat Riley said. "He earned that, many times over." But Mournings story is more about the journey than any statistic or award. He was raised by a foster mother who took him and 48 other kids into her home. From there, Mourning became a star at Georgetown, then an NBA icon who couldnt even be derailed by a kidney disease that necessitated a transplant while still in the prime of his career, and finally a champion with the Heat. "You dont think about going to the Hall of Fame. Its your reward," Mourning said. "This was the last thing on my mind. I had an amazing career. The journey was spectacular for me, personally. If no one else saw it that way, then so be it." Mourning, 44, will be presented by John Thompson, his coach at Georgetown, and Riley, his coach with the Heat. Thompson and Riley are two of the people who Mourning credits most for making him what he is. The other is Fannie Threet, the foster mother who died last year at the age of 98 and the person who Mourning speaks with more reverence for than anyone else. Thompson, Riley and the woman he still calls "Miss Threet" might seem like three wildly different people, but Mourning sees parallels in them all -- mainly discipline, devotion and a balance between toughness and compassion. Add them up, you get Mourning, who plans to spend his speech thanking just about everyone he can remember. "Its the pinnacle of the sport," Mourning said. 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