name As controversy has grown over the name of the Washington Redskins, Petersen has become a vocal defender of his local sports team. In 2014, he initiated a "Redskins Pride Caucus" in the Virginia Legislature. Although Petersen's position is unconventional for his political party, he has said that several other Virginia Democrats have privately supported him on this issue. Citing support that he has received from individual Native Americans, Petersen has said, "I get it from all points. And listen - if somebody is offended, I'm not going to deny that that's a sincere feeling. But you can't just take that and scrub out the feelings of 100,000 other people." When the Daily Show produced an episode that aired September 25, 2014 featuring local Redskins fans confronted by Native Americans, Petersen contacted the producers in an attempt to withdraw the fans' consent to appear. According Petersen, these fans had been misled about the nature of the segment, prior to signing their releases. Although the segment was not pulled, Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, acknowledged on air that the fans were upset with the situation. Petersen has also given legal representation to the Native American Tribal Association, a nation-wide group of Native Americans who are opposed to the removal of Native American mascots. COVID-19 School Closures Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Petersen has come under fire for what critics have called extreme stances on school closures. In June 2020, Petersen said on "The John Fredericks Show" when discussing Jim Crow laws "Look, there were some bad decisions made, but at least they had a school system, ok, at least they had a functioning school system." This statement quickly drew controversy from Virginia Democrats who noted the history of massive resistance in Virginia where school systems refused to integrate. The Prince Edward County School Board even shut down schools for nearly five years rather than desegregate. In January 2021, Petersen announced he would propose an amendment to the Virginia state budget to require schools receiving state funding to allow in-person learning. Petersen proposed the amendment in spite of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee voting with 98% support of a resolution asking "state legislators to refrain from coercing the FCPS school board to change their school reopening plan by threatening to cut their budget." Personal career Defense Attorney for Advanced Towing On June 25, 2020, Attorney General Mark R. Herring filed a