Redskins blitzed for wishing fans a 'Happy Thanksgiving'

By Gabby Morrongiello, Gabby Morrongiello

Published December 20, 2015

Forget warm holiday cheer — the Washington Redskins awoke an army of angry Twitter followers on Thursday after wishing their fans a "Happy Thanksgiving" on the popular social media site.

The team's name has drawn the ire of Native American activists and Democratic lawmakers who deem it offensive. Redskins owner Dan Snyder has stood firm in his decision not to change the name, despite a federal judge ordering the cancellation of the team's trademark registrations this year.

Some individuals on Twitter accused the NFL team of being insensitive Thursday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday's historic ties to the Pilgrims and Native Americans.

Others used humor to convey their disappointment in the team's holiday wishes.

A local news station, FOX 5 DC, used Twitter's new polling feature to survey how many users found the Redskins' original tweet offensive.

Shortly after noon, 311 users had voted in the poll. Eighty-two percent indicated they did not find the tweet offensive while 18 percent said they did.