ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins on Thursday formally appealed a ruling that stripped the team of trademark protection, the latest legal manoeuvr in the franchises attempt to defend its name against those who consider it a racial slur. The team announced that it had filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and that it "points out the many errors" in the decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The offices Trademark Trial and Appeal Board voted 2-1 on June 18 to cancel six uses of "Redskins" trademarked from 1967 to 1990, saying the name is "disparaging of Native Americans." "We believe that the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ignored both federal case law and the weight of the evidence, and we look forward to having a federal court review this obviously flawed decision," Redskins lawyer Bob Raskopf said in the teams statement. The team had previously said it would appeal the ruling and had two months to do so. The trademark protection remains in place while the matter makes its way through the courts, a process that could take years. A similar ruling by the trademark board in 1999 was overturned on a technicality in 2003. Native Americans have been challenging the trademark since 1992. The Redskins say they will ask the court to consider "serious constitutional issues," including whether the ruling penalizes the teams right of free speech and whether the team has been unfairly deprived of "valuable and long-held intellectual property rights." The group of five Native Americans challenging the name is equally confident. "This effort is doomed to fail," said Amanda Blackhorse, the lead plaintiff. "But if they want to prolong this litigation which has already gone on for 22 years, I guess they have that prerogative." The Redskins have been under sustained pressure to defend the name over the last 18 months, with major political, church and sports figures joining the debate and saying it should be changed. Team owner Dan Snyder has vowed never to change the name, calling it a "badge of honour." "If people wouldnt dare call a Native American a redskin because they know it is offensive, how can an NFL football team have this name?" Blackhorse said. "We know that time is on our side for a change in the teams name, and we are confident we will win once again at this stage of the litigation." Homer Bailey Jersey . -- Former NHL star Jeremy Roenick shot a second-round 69 to take the lead after 36 holes and former LPGA great Annika Sorenstam and Chad Pfeifer, who lost his left leg above the knee serving in Iraq, are among several players in contention in the American Century Championship tournament on Saturday. Rob Dibble Jersey .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. https://www.cheapredsjerseys.us/2155s-raisel-iglesias-jersey-reds.html . Linemates Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves to lead the Blue Jackets past the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night. Tom Browning Jersey . Ellis had a season-high 37 points and two key assists late, Dirk Nowitzki led a fourth-quarter rally with 14 of his 35 points, and the Mavericks spoiled Howards best offensive night in Houston with a 123-120 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday night. Bret Boone Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. LAS VEGAS -- The fight isnt until Saturday night but the gloves came off Wednesday in the buildup to UFC 167. "I cant wait to freaking deck the crap out of him," challenger Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks said of UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. "I want his eyes to roll back in his head. Thats my goal." Hendricks, who has said in the past that he has nothing against the Canadian champion, tried to take the edge off those words by saying he approached every bout that way. But the two fighters bickering over drug-testing has been bubbling for some months now and the debate boiled over Wednesday when Hendricks, apparently irate at a comment GSP made in a TV interview minutes earlier, essentially accused St-Pierre of using performance enhancing-drugs. "Have you seen him in the last two months," Hendricks asked. "Hes shrunk a little bit hasnt he?" Hendricks (15-1) also pointed to St-Pierres buff body in the cage after rehydrating following the weigh-in the day before fights. "Check out my pictures, Im fat ... You dont gain 15, 20 pounds and still get that form. Everybody bloats a little bit. You dont put 20 pounds of water in your system without ballooning." Hendricks will weigh in Friday at 170 and then enter the cage Saturday night at around 195-200. The two fighters have been at odds over drug testing with St-Pierre asking Hendricks to sign up for the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, a Nevada-based non-profit outfit that runs drug-screening programs for athletes, in addition to the normal tests conducted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The Hendricks camp eventually declined, explained that they would be at disadvantage because St-Pierre had a relationship with VADA that included being featured on their website. And that the Nevada commission told him not to go with VADA. Hendricks and St-Pierre have been bickering ever since, with St-Pierre even tweeting the results of his test from the WADA-accredited (World Anti-Doping Association) UCLA Olympic Analytical Lab. Hendricks, normally happy and gregarious, adding confrontational to his mood menu Wednesday after hearing second-hand reports that St-Pierre told a TV interviewer to read between the lines, that he was doing additional testing and the challenger wasnt. That quickly mushroomed as Hendricks met the media on the stage of the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand, where magician David Coppefield was to go on stage hours later. "What I dont have respect for is him saying Im on steroids when he knows nothing aboout me," Hendricks said of the champion.dddddddddddd. "Has anybody accused me of steroids? has anybody accused me of being on growth (human growth hormone)? "Hell no. ... Ive been clean my whole entire life. And all of a sudden some dude (who) doesnt know me, hes been accused the last six years of being on something, he picks me and says I must be on something because I dont want to follow the pony train to VADA. Get out of here." While saying he had no proof about St-Pierre, who has also had to endure similar cheating jibes from B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz in the past, Hendricks kept pointing a fuzzy finger. "Who cares. If you want to be on it, be on it. If you dont, who cares. Dont try to drag my name through the mud because the last six years youre too scared to do it." Hendricks also said he just wants to fight the best GSP there is. "If thats on something, thats on something, if its not, its not. Im not sweating." Hendricks did say if he wins Saturday, he will sign up for WADAs rigorous out-of-competition testing with WADA on his own dime. "I win the belt, I have the money, Ill piss. Because like I said I can afford it." The challenger accused St-Pierre of trying to play mind games with him on the eve of the fight. "It gives me a lot of motivation ... The only thing is its going to make me hit him that much harder." The war of words, at least temporarily, took a shine off a long-awaited fight between the champion and No. 1 contender, whose wrestling skills and punching power are seen as a real threat for the title. Hendricks irritation followed a positively serene session with St-Pierre, who was revelling in being able to roll with UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie during the public workouts. "He is my idol," St-Pierre said in French after. St-Pierre (24-2) can make history against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on Saturday night, becoming the first fighter to record 19 wins in the UFC. The Canadian champion is currently tied with UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, whom he first beat for the title, at 18 victories. GSP is also tied with former middleweight champion Anderson Silva for most wins in UFC title bouts at 11. And if the Hendricks fight lasts 40 seconds or longer, St-Pierre will surpass B.J. Penns record of five hours three minutes and 51 seconds for career fight time in the UFC The fight card also marks the 20th anniversary of the UFC, which kicked off Nov. 12, 1993, with UFC 1 in Denver. St-Pierre made his UFC debut at UFC 46 in January 2004. ' ' '