Can’t Beat Them, Sue Them

The Chief Illiniwek controversy is about to clog our legal system. A suit was filed Tuesday in Cook County (interesting choice, I might add … no way a case like this would succeed in C-U) by the Illinois Native American Bar Association claiming “the University of Illinois’ refusal to get rid of the mascot violates the Illinois Civil Rights Act.”

U of I spokesman Tom Hardy said the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education ruled in 1995 that Chief Illiniwek did not violate the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Chief Illiniwek will not make any appearances at the NCAA tournament games. Of course, Illinois is riding an all-time high in media exposure, so this is bound to get major attention nationwide.

Eric Zorn — who declares himself as anti-Chief — offers his thoughts here. The Tribune is running a poll on the topic, and so far it’s pro-chief in a landslide.