'South Park' To Mock Washington Redskins In Season Opener

The Comedy Central cartoon "South Park" is expected to touch on the controversy involving the Washington Redskins NFL team in its upcoming season.

A preview for the 18th season, which is set to premiere this week, shows the cartoon mocking Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who has refused to change the name of his NFL team even though politicians, religious groups and Native Americans have said the name is offensive.

In the promotional clip, the devious character Eric Cartman names his company the Washington Redskins, and Snyder begs Cartman to change the name of his company, using many of the same arguments Native Americans have used to get him to change the name of his NFL team.

"Don't you see that when you call your organization the Washington Redskins, it's offensive to us?" Snyder says in the clip.

"When I named my company Washington Redskins, it was out of deep appreciation for your team and your people," Cartman responds, playing off some of the real-life statements Snyder has made as reason for keeping his NFL team's name.

The upcoming episode plays on a ruling in June by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that canceled some of the Washington Redskins trademarks because the name was offensive to Native Americans.

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and the team's head coach Jay Gruden also appear in the first "South Park" episode of this season, with each of them pleading with Cartman to change the name of his company.