The Oneida Indian Nation visited the White House this week and thanked President Barack Obama for voicing his concerns about the Washington Redskins team name during an interview with the Associated Press last month.

Washington and the NFL have faced growing criticism from writers, fans, and others who believe that the term "Redskins" has no place in the NFL. It has been argued that the team name is equivalent to the racial slurs used against other racial minorities.

Washington's owner, Dan Snyder, has been so firm in his stance that he won't change the team name that he once told the media that they could use "caps" when he said the team would "NEVER" change.

"We will never change the name of the team," Snyder told USA TODAY Sports in May. "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season."

Despite the comments from Washington's owner, even commissioner Roger Goodell has started to express some hesitation after he initially tried to steer clear of the entire debate. Most notably, however, were the words that came from the top.

"I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things," Obama said during the interview last month.

Obama's words last month helped spark more support for the Oneida Indian Nation and this week's meeting seemed to build on that with a step in the right direction.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to express our gratitude, which is what I did," Oneida Nation represenative Ray Halbritter told USA TODAY Sports. "The president acknowledged it, he nodded, and applause spontaneously broke out around the table."