The City of Minneapolis lacks the legal standing to keep Washington's NFL team from using its nickname when it plays the Vikings here next month, the city's attorney said Wednesday.

City Council members had expressed interested in taking action against the team, which has been criticized by Native American groups and other organizations for its use of the Redskins nickname. The game will take place at the University of Minnesota, which has publicized its own objection to the use of the word.

City Attorney Susan Segal said that while her she and some members of her office "would like nothing better" than to take legal action to help force the team to change its name, the city has limited options. She told a council committee that a ban on the name could be seen as a violation of the First Amendment, and noted that the city's civil rights ordinance does not apply to the University of Minnesota.

Segal said it's possible someone could launch a lawsuit on the basis that the use of the name violated rules about public accommodations, but that would have to be done by an individual who could claim that the use of the word created a hostile environment.

"Unfortunately," she said, "I think we've come to the conclusion that the city itself does not have a cause of action against the team that is likely to be successful. In some ways, we are about the worst plaintiff you can try to (use) for an expansion of law in this area."