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While the ITK declined requests for an interview with Obed for this story, Eskimos president and chief executive officer Len Rhodes said he has met with Obed on three different occasions since, both in Edmonton and in Ottawa.

“We agreed to keep an ongoing dialogue and we continue to do so,” Rhodes said. “Our meetings have been very respectful, and it has allowed us to share our respective points of view.

“Our plan is to listen to what the community is saying. We encourage people to have a dialogue and we hope that it is a respectful conversation, regardless of what one’s opinion is.”

What that plan doesn’t include is changing the Eskimos’ name.

Photo by Justin Tang / THE CANADIAN PRESS

“We are proud of our team’s heritage,” Rhodes said. “We always use our name within an aura of respect for all members of our community. We do not believe that we do anything in a derogatory fashion as it relates to our name.

“We always keep it in a positive context. However, Natan Obed tells us that in his eyes, the name itself is derogatory. Obviously, these are two different perspectives.”

A name change would be no small decision.

“We have had our name since our inception,” Rhodes said of the current club, founded in 1949, whose roots and name date back to the turn of the last century. “There is a lot of history and tradition that comes with it.

We do not believe that we do anything in a derogatory fashion as it relates to our name. Len Rhodes

“It is associated with one of the most successful franchises in all of pro sports.”

At the same time, the club doesn’t shy away from joining the conversation.