Page "Washington Redskins" Paragraph 13

During most of this unsuccessful period, Marshall continually refused to integrate the team, despite pressure from The Washington Post and the federal government of the United States.

On March 24, 1961, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall warned Marshall to hire black players or face federal retribution.

For the first time in history, the federal government had attempted to desegregate a professional sports team.

The Redskins were under the threat of civil rights legal action by the Kennedy administration, which would have prevented a segregated team from playing at the new D. C. Stadium, as it was owned by the U. S. Department of the Interior and thus was federal government property.