Longtime referee Mike Carey quietly asked the NFL not to assign him to any games involving the Washington Redskins dating back to 2006.

“The league respectfully honored my request not to officiate Washington,” Carey said. “It happened sometime after I refereed their playoff game in 2006, I think.”

Carey said he's found the name offensive throughout his life.

“It just became clear to me that to be in the middle of the field, where something disrespectful is happening, was probably not the best thing for me,” Carey said.

Carey said he never went to Commissioner Roger Goodell with the request, instead preferring to communicate with the person who makes up the officiating assignments.