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Washington's pro football team honored the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II fame during a time out of its Monday Night Football game. The team said it was part of the NFL's Salute to Service month as well as to Native American Heritage month. Not everyone was convinced that was the only reason.

"It does not take a code talker to crack this particular code," columnist Dave Zirin wrote in The Nation. "Dan Snyder is on the wrong side of history."

Snyder is the owner of the Washington franchise who famously said he will never change his team's name: "NEVER — you can use caps." That was for a story in USA TODAY Sports in May about Amanda Blackhorse, a Navajo who is suing to strip federal trademark protection from the word redskin, which she contends is a racial slur.

Navajo Code Talkers is the name for a select group of Marines in World War II who created an unbreakable code based on their complex Navajo language and it proved a key element in the success of the American war effort. "At a time when America's best cryptographers were falling short," the Washington team said on its website, "the Navajo Code Talkers were able to fashion the most ingenious code in military history."

Monday's brief ceremony honored members of the American Code Talkers Association and some wore Washington team jackets with military hats. They are American heroes worthy of honor, though some observers suggested the football team was using them to gain support for its position that the team name is not disparaging. Washingtonian called it "a publicity stunt more awkward than the Redskins' failure to convert on fourth-and-two."

Suzan Shown Harjo, who is Cheyenne and Muscogee, and who recruited Blackhorse to the federal trademark case, wrote in Indian Country Today: "In 21 years of litigation, the Washington franchise has not brought into court a single Native nation, organization or person to support its position."

Pro golfer Notah Begay III is a Navajo who says of the Washington team name: "If you ask me, it is offensive," Begay said on ESPN's "Outside the Lines." "And I think it's just a very clear example of institutionalized degradation of an ethnic minority."

The Oneida Indian Nation, which has been running radio ads opposing the team name in Washington and in the markets where the Washington team plays, is for the first time running ads in other markets. Ads in Baltimore and Detroit, to coincide with NFL games played on Thanksgiving, feature the voice of Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter: "Thanksgiving is a holiday emphasizing the ideals of inclusion and mutual respect, and is a time when we give thanks. We would like to express our appreciation to everyone who has spoken out about the important moral and civil rights issue of changing the Washington football team's name."

GALLERY: Key figures in team name cotroversy

Major players in the Redskins naming controversy
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The Washington Redskins' team name is considered derogatory by some Native Americans.
The Washington Redskins' team name is considered derogatory by some Native Americans.  Nick Wass, AP
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George Preston Marshall, the team's original owner, chose the "Redskins" nickname in honor of coach William "Lone Star" Dietz, who claimed to be of the Sioux Nation.
George Preston Marshall, the team's original owner, chose the "Redskins" nickname in honor of coach William "Lone Star" Dietz, who claimed to be of the Sioux Nation.  AP
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William "Lone Star" Dietz was the coach of the Boston Redskins in 1933 and 1934 (11-11-2 record). Dietz purported to be an American Indian, though recent research suggests he feigned that identity.
William "Lone Star" Dietz was the coach of the Boston Redskins in 1933 and 1934 (11-11-2 record). Dietz purported to be an American Indian, though recent research suggests he feigned that identity.  AP
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Current Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder told USA TODAY Sports in May,"We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps."
Current Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder told USA TODAY Sports in May,"We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps."  Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports
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Navajo woman Amanda Blackhorse of Phoenix, Ariz. is part of a legal action against the Washington Redskins and their name, logo, and mascot.
Navajo woman Amanda Blackhorse of Phoenix, Ariz. is part of a legal action against the Washington Redskins and their name, logo, and mascot.  David Wallace, The Arizona Republic
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Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter is the leader of the current push to rename the team. Oneida representatives have requested a meeting with all 32 NFL owners, hoping to persuade them to get the Washington franchise to drop the nickname Redskins. The Oneidas also asked for an amendment to league bylaws to prohibit franchises from naming a team with any term that is a racial epithet.
Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter is the leader of the current push to rename the team. Oneida representatives have requested a meeting with all 32 NFL owners, hoping to persuade them to get the Washington franchise to drop the nickname Redskins. The Oneidas also asked for an amendment to league bylaws to prohibit franchises from naming a team with any term that is a racial epithet.  Louis Lanzano, AP
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In September, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a radio interview, "If we are offending one person (with 'Redskins'), we need to be listening and making sure that we're doing the right things to try to address that."
In September, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a radio interview, "If we are offending one person (with 'Redskins'), we need to be listening and making sure that we're doing the right things to try to address that."  Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
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Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the face of the franchise, has declined to comment on the name change fracas. Instead, RG3 has kept the focus on football, saying that the players "can't allow [the controversy] to be a distraction."
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the face of the franchise, has declined to comment on the name change fracas. Instead, RG3 has kept the focus on football, saying that the players "can't allow [the controversy] to be a distraction."  Bruce Kluckhohn, USA TODAY Sports
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Suzan Shown Harjo is president of the Morning Star Institute and an American Indian activist who has organized a pair of trademark lawsuits against the Redskins name that stretch back as far as two decades.
Suzan Shown Harjo is president of the Morning Star Institute and an American Indian activist who has organized a pair of trademark lawsuits against the Redskins name that stretch back as far as two decades.  Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP
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In October, President Obama made his opinion known, telling the Associated Press,"If I were the owner of the team and I knew that the name of my team — even if they've had a storied history — was offending a sizable group of people, I'd think about changing it."
In October, President Obama made his opinion known, telling the Associated Press,"If I were the owner of the team and I knew that the name of my team — even if they've had a storied history — was offending a sizable group of people, I'd think about changing it."  Michael Francis McElroy, Getty Images
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    Replay
    • The Washington Redskins' team name is considered derogatory by some Native Americans.
    • George Preston Marshall, the team's original owner, chose the "Redskins" nickname in honor of coach William "Lone Star" Dietz, who claimed to be of the Sioux Nation.
    • William "Lone Star" Dietz was the coach of the Boston Redskins in 1933 and 1934 (11-11-2 record). Dietz purported to be an American Indian, though recent research suggests he feigned that identity.
    • Current Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder told USA TODAY Sports in May,"We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps."
    • Navajo woman Amanda Blackhorse of Phoenix, Ariz. is part of a legal action against the Washington Redskins and their name, logo, and mascot.
    • Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter is the leader of the current push to rename the team. Oneida representatives have requested a meeting with all 32 NFL owners, hoping to persuade them to get the Washington franchise to drop the nickname Redskins. The Oneidas also asked for an amendment to league bylaws to prohibit franchises from naming a team with any term that is a racial epithet.
    • In September, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a radio interview, "If we are offending one person (with 'Redskins'), we need to be listening and making sure that we're doing the right things to try to address that."
    • Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the face of the franchise, has declined to comment on the name change fracas. Instead, RG3 has kept the focus on football, saying that the players "can't allow [the controversy] to be a distraction."
    • Suzan Shown Harjo is president of the Morning Star Institute and an American Indian activist who has organized a pair of trademark lawsuits against the Redskins name that stretch back as far as two decades.
    • In October, President Obama made his opinion known, telling the Associated Press,"If I were the owner of the team and I knew that the name of my team — even if they've had a storied history — was offending a sizable group of people, I'd think about changing it."
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