Rossi’s arena appearance rankles tribe

The Spokane Tribe is indignant that the Spokane Shock football team it sponsors honored Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi at its game Friday against the Tampa Bay Storm.

Rossi, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, has been an outspoken critic of issues important to American Indians and the Spokane Tribe in particular, according to a statement released by the tribe.

Spokane Tribal Council Chairman Gregory Abrahamson said the tribe “did not intend to provide a football field bearing the tribe’s name to honor a political candidate such as Mr. Dino Rossi,” according to the statement.

The Shock invited Rossi to be honorary captain for the ArenaBowl game at Spokane Tribe Field in the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, and he conducted the coin toss before kickoff.

During his failed 2008 gubernatorial campaign against Gov. Chris Gregoire, pro-Rossi television commercials accused the tribe of striking a “backroom deal” with the state over gambling.

At the time, the tribe accused Rossi of racism over the ads, which were paid for by the Building Industry Association of Washington and the Republican Governors Association.

During a 2008 debate with Gregoire, Rossi attacked the governor for turning down a gambling compact with the Spokane Tribe that would have shared casino revenue with the state and said Indian tribes have “laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Democratic Party, directly into my opponent’s campaign.”

The Spokane Tribe denounced and refuted Rossi’s statements.

“Politics should remain within the political field and not on the Spokane Tribe Field at the Spokane Arena,” Abrahamson said in Friday’s statement. “The Spokane Tribe believes sporting events should continue to be a fun entertainment activity and not a place for any political candidates to further their campaign.”

No one from the Shock or Rossi’s campaign would comment Friday.