Longtime play-by-play announcer Jerry Howarth won't refer to the Toronto Blue Jays' opponent as the "Indians" when the two clubs open their AL Championship Series in Cleveland on Friday.
Howarth said he hasn't used the word nor similar ones since the 1992 World Series after receiving a letter from a member of a First Nation who politely told the veteran broadcaster he found terms such as "Braves" deeply offensive.
"He just wrote it in such a loving, kind way," Howarth told Jeff Blair on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, according to Peter Edwards of the Toronto Star. "He touched my heart."
Cleveland's team name has come under renewed scrutiny in recent years, particularly last season when a popular-selling T-shirt depicting a yellow-colored Chief Wahoo brought about intense criticism of the organization's use of the logo.
Since receiving the letter more than two decades ago, Howarth said he's also refrained from using phrases such as "a powwow on the mound."
"For the rest of my career I will not say 'Indian' or 'Brave' and if I was in the NFL I would not say 'Redskins,'" Howarth told Blair on Tuesday.
The Indians have been scaling back the use of the Chief Wahoo logo in recent years, and in 2013, the club removed the logo from its home batting helmet altogether. However, it's still found on the sleeve of the team's jerseys, and Indians owner Paul Dolan said last year it will remain there as a "part of our history and legacy."
On Monday, Hall of Fame pitcher and TBS analyst Pedro Martinez came under fire for making a stereotypical joke about Native Americans during the ALDS postgame show. He apologized shortly after the video was shared on social media.
