DEZ CAUGHT IT

by with No Comment FeaturedRace RelationsSocial Issues

My initial reaction to Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict for the murder of George Floyd was… “and.” “And” in the sense that, a guilty verdict of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter should have been his actual fate. But as Childish Gambino rapped… This is America, a place where we see blatant injustices carried out against Black people every day, recorded on cell phones, and the agents of the state (police officer) almost always found not guilty. 

Instead of channeling negativity, I’d rather echo the words of George Floyd’s brother, Philonise, “We are able to breathe again.” Philonise would go on to summarize the meaning behind his quote by stating, “I told you, we will get justice. And still, we’re gonna fight for you too. We got to fight for everybody.” And that’s where I hope the verdict leads, not to a historical point, rather a historical trend… a trend in which accountability is held by the state when it commits crimes against Black people.

Sorta like Dez Bryant. 

A few years back, the National Football League created a problem thought to have been established when the game of football was invented, what is a catch? This became extremely controversial after Dallas Cowboys Receiver Dez Bryant brought the questioning of the catch rule to light in the 2014 playoffs. Though millions of viewers watching the game, and the broadcast booth watching the replay, no way, based on what we thought a football catch was, would Dez Bryant’s clutch touchdown be overturned and not ruled a catch. After the review, it wasn’t a catch, Dallas, and an entire football fanbase for years feared whenever a contested-catch was made, would it be overturned?

Sounds familiar? 

It seems with each controversial killing by a police officer, we the public, even when empirical evidence such as recordings are presented, the ruling goes in the officer’s favor. 

In 2018, years after ruling against it, the NFL ruled Dez Bryant did in fact make a legitimate football catch, and Dallas should have been awarded the touchdown, lead, and possible victory. Since the ruling was reversed and the NFL has since made several rules changes, there has been far less questioning on catches, and the reviews more consistent. 

There is no doubt, the endless crying from Cowboys fans and hashtag #dezcaughtit had a strong influence on the NFL ultimately resulting in them improving the catch rule. Regarding George Floyd, the verdict and case were clearly amplified by everything from the initial cell phone recording to global protesting, showing that those strong influences could lead to change. Hopefully, it’s long-term change.

Similar Read: Chauvin Verdict

Trump for MVP?

by with One Comment FeaturedNFLSports

We made it! We’re in our third week of 2021, and 2020 has not come back to life yet. 2020 was special and given I’m a sports fan, I could not wrap up 2020 without using a sports analogy. 2020 was a lot, and dozens upon dozens of events, people, and places made it special. And just like in professional sports, there are countless great players who turned in a great season, but there’s always one player who can stand out for a particular reason, that person being the most valuable person of the year. 

Before giving my MVP award for 2020, I wanted to give a backdrop to the thought process. 

We all know Peyton Manning, before Papa Johns and Nationwide Insurance commercials, was once a very good NFL Quarterback. Such a great Quarterback, that he was considered by some to be the 2011 MVP, which was not surprising for an eventual winner of five NFL Most Valuable Player awards. However, in 2011, Peyton Manning DID NOT play a single game. In the 2010 season, Peyton led his Indianapolis Colts to a 10-6 record clinching a then NFL record ninth consecutive postseason appearance. Coming into the 2011 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts were usual favorites to compete for a Super Bowl, mainly because of the reliant greatness of Manning. In the Spring of 2011, Peyton underwent a series of possible career-ending neck surgeries, given he was 35… the Colts released him. The Colts went 2 -14 without him. A record that gave the Colts the number one pick in which they drafted Andrew Luck. Peyton, he made out okay going to Denver and winning another Super Bowl. 

So it wasn’t Peyton Manning’s actual gameplay in 2011 that made him so valuable, it was what he DIDN’T DO (keep that in mind for later) that made him so great. If Peyton doesn’t get cut by the Colts, the Andrew Luck pick is now for my beloved Washington Football team to pick, and instead of Robert Griffen III, we get Andrew Luck. Denver doesn’t get Peyton and has to seek other QB options, meaning they don’t face the Panthers a few years later in the Super Bowl. And so on and so on. 

Get it??? So now for the actual 2020 part of the 2020 wrap up. 

Like it or not, Donald Trump was a major part of your life in 2020. Yes, Trump literally trumped every person, place, or thing that took place in 2020. 

Like the fly that landed on Mike Pence’s head during the Vice Presidential debate, it took me a while to write a 2020 wrap-up. Just as never in history had a fly and a human-made contact and neither reacted to it, 2020 was simply that, a year in which events unfolded unlike never seen before. The lion share of those events centered around Covid-19 and only one person bears the most responsibility for the United States’ response to the virus… 

Trump. 

He’s the MVP of 2020, and here’s why.

Time magazine got it all wrong. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris should not have been selected as “person of the year.” This is not a slight against them, I voted for them. To be candid, it’s because the Biden/Harris ticket won primarily off the disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by Trump.

No way, Joe Biden… if “the safe government job you got out of college as opposed to taking that internship at MTV” were a person… even wins the Democrat nomination. The Democratic nomination seemed to be going the way of Progressives like Sanders and Warren; however, once COVID-19 and the dangers of both the virus and lack of leadership from Trump hit, most saw the only goal in 2020 was to vote out Trump. Whoever was most “fit” to make that happen, all who didn’t storm the US Capitol Building… really didn’t care who that was. 

As early as Feb 2020, Trump was made aware of the dangers of Covid-19 and decided, for political purposes, to ignore it. Granted, Trump has ignored any and all relevant issues since becoming POTUS, but 2020 was his Jay-Z’s Blueprint album. He went all out in a classic way… Trump ignored to address the problems of the nation in the areas of health, science, race relations, police brutality, the environment, immigration, energy… the list is too exhausting to continue. All of these elements led to a historic turnout amongst voters, Georgia going blue… twice! Sports arenas and courts dotted with “VOTE” and “BLM” messaging, just to name a few. Trump’s actions of 2020 have seemed to spawn a sense of activism and political awareness not seen since the 1960s. 

Post-election, Trump has acted like a true disgruntled employee. First, by making constant outlandish attempts to overturn the election. Trump and his Four Seasons Total Landscaping Rewards Member friend, lawyer, and hair color expert, Rudy Giuliani, made every attempt to overturn the election claiming fraud. Fraud in which no one on the Trump team could ever produce any sort of evidence proving there was fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election. 

Back to the Peyton and the 2011 Indianapolis Colts… Trump’s 2020 magnum opus year was a year like Peyton’s in 2011. Similar to Peyton never taking a snap in 2011 and it having ripple effects throughout the entire league for seasons to follow, Trump’s inability to lead has effected the entire country… particularly his inability to immediately respond to COVID-19 has led to more than 300,000 Americans dying and counting, not to mention a host of failed policies and procedures in which the ramifications will be felt for years to come. Who knows how different 2020 and the years to follow would have been if the dangers of COVID-19 were immediately addressed by Trump when he was first told.

And then there’s January 6, 2021. An event in which the 2020 MVP became the most dangerous hype man for. An event, at the most, was an outright Coup d’etat, and at minimum, a terrorist mob. An event that shows the 2020 MVP, may not play many games in 2021, but please believe he’s still got some sacks to deliver to the American people.

Similar Read: My Reaction to the Storming of Capitol Hill

Is a Bubble the Answer?

by with 2 Comments FeaturedSports

For 5 weeks I’ve been living life in the WNBA bubble, also known as the wubble, in Bradenton, Florida at the prestigious IMG Academy. Players and team staff are quarantined, tested daily, and holding social distancing practices as much as possible. We practiced, ate, and gave medical care while getting used to our new normal without being allowed to leave the premises. Well, as much as possible around teens who were on campus for various sports camps and Academy staff who were going home to their families everyday. I guess you could say that we were separated from them as much as we possibly could, although I did find out that Academy staff were being tested every 2-3 days as well. 

I’d be foolish if I said that everything was well-planned and that the logistics were perfect from day one, but through some trial and error, and constant communication, we seem to have hit a bit of a sweet spot. For instance, every person on each team’s travel party had to take 3 coronavirus tests prior to flying out to prove that he/she had not been exposed to the virus. The testing did expose several players prior to leaving and even caused one team to delay departure due to multiple positive results. However, once given the “all clear” we were placed on a commercial flight which, from our city, happened to be a full flight that allowed for no social distancing at all. Thankfully, as a healthcare provider, I was well prepared with an N95 mask, face shield, gloves and enough wipes to sanitize the entire plane. Upon arrival, we then mixed in with the rest of the people in the airport- although by no means full- Florida had just been rated a growing coronavirus hot spot, so even a handful of people warranted suspicion. 

Once we arrived as a team at the IMG premises, we picked up our room or house keys and set out to find our dwellings for the next 4 days where we would be quarantined again. Meals were delivered 3 times a day, and grocery delivery services became fast favorites of everyone. The only time of day that we were allowed to leave was for the daily testing procedure that was scheduled by team so that we did not potentially cross-contaminate one another. After the initial quarantine period practices began for 2 weeks until the season finally kicked off on July 25.

While there have been a small number of true positive tests, most teams have stayed to themselves still, with the occasional moments of mingling at meals or the pool. When a positive result is returned, all team leads are notified, with care to protect the identity of the person to decrease the stigma. The athlete or staff member is immediately isolated in a designated off-campus hotel and tested again for the next 2 days to determine whether or not the result is true or false. In some cases, if there is a roommate or family member present, appropriate care is taken to retest and isolate them if necessary as well. 

The elephant in the room was the noticeable differences between what was shown and exposed about the NBA bubble compared to the wubble. For instance, our testing seemed to be administered using a different procedure almost daily, by different people- some getting good samples and some barely seeming to scratch the surface. The problem is that an insufficient sample is listed as “positive,” causing the individual to be isolated at a remote site and having to wait at least 2 days to obtain consecutive negative results. This has lead to missed games and practices. Instead, the NBA has access to rapid tests to be used in similar cases which can turnaround results within hours and avoid an unnecessary isolation and missed games. Let’s not even talk about how it’s taken the entire 5 weeks to get someone (2 people to be exact) into the wubble to staff the hair salon for a limited 2 week period to do hair for a couple hundred women and the male staff, while the NBA has had multiple barbers on site from the beginning, and they rotate them out every 2 weeks. The WNBA doesn’t know if/when the hairstylists will return after this initial 2 week period. NBA players can also have family members visit and go in and out on designated days, while WNBA players cannot unless they came in on the first day as a caregiver for an accompanying child. 

The disparities in services and accommodations are present and the topic of some conversations, but overall everyone recognizes the real reason we are here- to cut the risk of exposure to, and spread of the coronavirus. It is my opinion and has been for a few months now, that it will be difficult to play any sport without the use of a “bubble” experience. This takes a lot of time and effort to plan and raises multiple medical and logistical challenges. I applaud the medical professionals and team and league representatives who have labored tirelessly to make a season possible, and I believe that the NBA and WNBA have been successful because of it. Is it realistic to put all football (college or professional) or major league baseball teams into the same bubble where they only interact with one another, are tested daily, and don’t have to travel for games? Probably not. For this reason, I side with the college conferences that have decided to forgo all Fall sports. 

I also applaud the NCAA for beginning to look at possible bubble situations for men’s basketball already, and hope that they can identify locations that can adequately support the unique needs of athletic medicine, performance and education of college athletes. I’d be lying if I said that I was 100% confident that the NFL season would start without a hitch. We have seen the challenges that MLB has faced when each team has been allowed to “create” it’s own bubble at the facility. However, trusting athletes to go straight home, not have outside company or even family visit, and the many other scenarios make it very difficult to predict outcomes from day to day. The truth is that America still has way too many people who don’t take the virus and it’s spread seriously, thus the decisions made away from the facility are often based solely on self.

I’m not sure what it will take for us to change our behavior collectively so that we can eradicate this virus, but hopefully, sports can help us unify in ways nothing else has been able to do. 

Similar Read: Do You Remember 2020?

Not What I Ordered

by with 2 Comments FeaturedSports

The Washington District of Columbia Football Club…

For the first time in my lifetime, there’s a serious call for changing the nickname of the Washington DC professional football team. The team’s nickname is not one of opinion… it has never been a question of whether or not it’s racist or offensive. 

Real simple, would you ever call anyone a “bleep-skin”? If you didn’t know the team name, would you even know the term existed? No… because it’s a terrible name and needs to be changed immediately. No one uses this term in real life, we all know why, let’s not play dumb. 

Nowhere else in the world do you see sporting teams named after whole peoples. There is no such thing as the “Berlin Russians” or the Paris “Italians,” no because it sounds stupid and without substance. 

So that’s that…

Now what should be the new team name? 

I’ve seen a number of suggestions and they’re all over the place. From the respectable nickname of the “Red Tails” (to honor the Tuskegee Airmen) to the boring and lame “Presidents” and “Generals” to simply being called the “Americans.” 

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

Just call it the “Washington District of Columbia Professional Football Club,” with no gimmicks, no mascot, no cheerleaders, no band. Just the coaches, trainers, scouts, and players. 

Why? 

For starters, we as Washington area sports fans already went through a terrible team name change. The Washington Bullets was a great nickname for our professional basketball team. No one, and I mean no one, hunted down anyone in the name of the “Washington Bullets” and shot them for said reasons. The reason for changing the name due to Washington’s murder rate is one thing, but to change it to the Wizards is just whack. Luckily our old red, white, and blue colors are back. But for years we were the laughing stock of the league due to lack of talent, ugly jerseys, and a terrible nickname. 

Secondly… the new team name NEEDS to be done quickly, to revert the media’s attention and focus back to the game of football. Outside of a couple RGIII’s here and a Sean Taylor (RIP) there, my childhood team has been ridiculously awful. 

A no-nonsense type of approach and new name is exactly what that organization needs to change its image. 

Lastly, the new name should be simple and straight forward, for it may bring some seriousness to Washington as a whole. The past few years we’ve seen the most illogical and asinine stances from people. Flat-Earthers to Trump voters refusing to wear masks amongst a health pandemic, it’s been a lot to take in. Maybe, just maybe, a team in the nation’s capital once named as one of the worst racial slurs in history could turn around and be a symbol of reason and progress. If the team were to change its name, show success, be a lead voice for what’s right, it COULD have an impact and trickle effect for the rest of the NFL and beyond. 

Similar Read: John McGraw, Andy Reid, And Black Quarterbacks

Why Are We Scared?

by with One Comment CultureFeaturedRace Relations

[New Contributor]

White America, stop. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, why?

Why does it not bother me that African-Americans are not on equal footing? Why am I scared about the empowerment of Black communities? Why do I not care about the injustices committed against African-Americans? Why am I not scared driving down the street but Black people are?

These of course are all rhetorical questions, but the why has been built into us over generations of discrimination against people who look different than us. We have to look at these questions individually. Not regurgitate a company line that we get from the media or the people we associate with. We have to make these problems personal. Why?

I am the results of the seeds sown by some of the most influential Black men in my life… coaches, teammates, friends, brothers. My story cannot be told without mentioning these men.

White friends, enemies, and family do not be scared or nervous, come talk to me. Ask me questions about these men and what they mean to me. I will tell you about Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Micheal Strahan, George Falgout, Mathias Kiwanuka, Jason Pierre-Paul, Carl Hairston, Perry Fewell, Antonio Pierce, Barry Cofield, Fred Robbins, Kenny Onatolu. The list goes on and on.

Why are we scared?

Similar read from another NFL player: Dear Black Man

It’s Okay to Just Dribble (Perspective on Jordan’s The Last Dance)

by with 2 Comments FeaturedSports

If you’re a sports fan like me, you’ve been fixated on ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary. Outside the NFL draft and free agency, not much is happening in the world of sports. Sure, there’s entertainment elsewhere, but you can only laugh at hearing “Carole Baskin” so many times and as funny as it is, it cannot replace sports. Nothing can… except when the context is about sports. And the Last Dance delivers what we secretly love the most about sports… drama!

The Last Dance primary focus is the coverage of the Chicago Bulls 1998 championship year, a third in a row, and their second set of three-peat championships of the 1990s. The ten-part documentary series chronicles the 1998 season in addition to that championship season. The documentary examines several aspects of Michael Jordan’s years spent with the Chicago Bulls. The series reviewed the first three-peat championship years spanning from 1991 to 1993, only to have Jordan retire for the first time the following season to pursue baseball. There’s even coverage dating back to his college basketball days at the University of North Carolina under legendary coach Dean Smith. 

The series also gives us the in-depth insight on Jordan’s relationship with his fellow teammates. From possibly the most underrated star in NBA history in Scottie Pippen to the man who said Carmen Electra wasn’t cute enough, Dennis Rodman. Relationship focus goes beyond the locker room with references to the 1992 US Men’s Basketball Olympic “Dream Team,” arguably the greatest collection of talent on one time of all time, and how Jordan the super-star related with other stars at the time.  The “Dream Team” included not just basketball stars, but legendary figures such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley. With the inclusion of those greats and others came forever the controversial omission of Isaiah Thomas from being a member of that team, a feud he carries with Michael Jordan till this day. 

The documentary brilliantly showcases how talented Jordan was, and how his drive combined with his talent led to him being the greatest basketball player of all time. Yes, this coming from a team LeBron guy, Mike is the greatest. 

Michael Jordan has had the most successful career as a professional athlete in the history of all professional sports, and it’s not even close. His on-court dominance of winning six championships while never losing one and being the MVP of each championship season to his basketball brand of shoes and appeal being the premier brand worldwide will simply never be matched. 

However, there is a matchup Jordan has not competed well against, and that’s social activism. And that’s OKAY. Yes, it is perfectly fine and okay that Michael Jordan is not thee face and champion for social change in the likes of Muhammad Ali and Lebron James. 

It’s okay for Michael Jordan to simply dribble. 

Back in 2018, FOX News Host Laura Ingraham stated Lebron James was stepping out of line for openly denouncing the actions of President Donald Trump. And that Lebron should focus on making millions playing basketball rather than being a political activist. 

Lebron turned her comments into a full fledge documentary about activism amongst Black athletes. 

What Laura Ingraham and others don’t understand… for Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and many other prominent athletes, social activism means just as much to me as their talent on the court. Definitely a passion of theirs. 

That was and is not Jordan. And that’s ok. It isn’t as if Jordan didn’t CARE about being on the right side of history, it just wasn’t his PASSION. 

Michael Jordan also isn’t the biggest hip-hop fan. Shocking right! The man whose shoes have literally been the standard footwear of every rapper from Rakim to Da Baby. Air Jordan’s (J’s) are mentioned in every other rap lyric. 

And though MJ could easily sing deep tracks of an Earth, Wind, and Fire record before acknowledging Da Baby and Lil Baby aren’t the same person, he and his Jumpman brand are still very much a part of hip-hop culture. 

This is because the greats like Mike know what they’re good at, and what they’re not. He knows the difference between voting and supporting a man like Harvey Gantt for Senate in North Carolina over Jesse Helms, the epitome of a segregationist. He even donated money for Gantt’s cause. Jordan never has nor never will be the one on a podium trying to excite the crowd about a candidate. He’s excited the crowd through his play, the best ever. And him simply being great at dribbling is great enough. 

John McGraw, Andy Reid, And Black Quarterbacks

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

The 2019 National Football League season will go down as a very special football season for many years to come. It was the 100th season of the National Football League in which they announced their 100 greatest players in league history. Secondly, it was the first season in which several Black quarterbacks were amongst the league’s best. With Baltimore Ravens Quarterback, Lamar Jackson winning the NFL MVP and Mahomes being the second Black quarterback to win the Super Bowl MVP, the league showcased what sensible people knew all along: Black quarterbacks are just as capable of leading their teams to victory as White quarterbacks – a mindset that still lingers in some fans, and even worse, some front-office decision-makers. 

We’ve come a long way in American sports regarding race. We still have a lot more progress to make on race and gender issues in sports; however, this article will highlight how far we’ve come. 

I want to tell the story of a great Baseball manager, John McGraw, and how his story serves as an example of racial progression in sports. 

Most people have never heard of the legendary baseball manager John McGraw. McGraw, a man who died in 1934, is still considered “the best player to become a great manager” in baseball history. John played and managed his entire Major League Baseball career without ever having the opportunity to do so with any Black or nonwhite player. Unlike many of his contemporaries, McGraw did follow players and teams of the Negro Leagues. He did so up until his death, in which his wife found in his pocket a list of all the Black players he wanted to sign over the years. McGraw would never come close to being able to sign any Negro League players, for the league would not become integrated until the arrival of Jackie Robinson in 1947.

Unlike John McGraw, Andy Reid’s coaching career is most unique regarding race relations in sports. As mentioned before, the racism surrounding Black quarterbacks has kept hundreds of would-be good Black quarterbacks from being just that, quarterbacks. Which has led, up until very recently, in any given NFL season a handful of black starting quarterbacks. 

Since Andy Reid’s coaching debut in 1999 to winning Super Bowl LIV, for the bulk of those years Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, and Patrick Mahomes were his starting quarterbacks. In other words, in an NFL where only a handful of Black Quarterbacks exist, Reid has coached three of them over his entire career. Reid and McGraw are clearly alike, it should be about the players, not the politics. 

Hopefully, articles like this won’t be necessary in the upcoming years for the hysteria around Black quarterbacks simply won’t matter, only if he’s got it or if he doesn’t. More importantly, never again will a manager or coach have to go to their grave not being able to sign a player simply because of the color of their skin.

Similar Read: Will Black Quarterbacks Dominate the NFL in 10 Years?

Watching Black Men Cry Changed My Life

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedSports

Like millions of fans, Kobe’s death affected me more than I thought it would. I didn’t know him, I wasn’t even a Lakers fan, but I respected him greatly. His preparation, his tenacity to compete, and his attention to detail made me root for him even when he was playing against my team.

As a Black male, I found myself in a weird place trying to understand why I couldn’t stop thinking about Kobe and Gianna and the rest of his family who was left behind to cope with his tragic loss. We’re taught at a very young age, directly and indirectly, that showing emotions is a sign of weakness. Under no circumstances do you cry or let others see you cry. But when Kobe died, people witnessed some of the world’s most notable Black men cry and show emotions. It was tough to watch because you could tell many of them tried to hold back the tears, and literally could not. The no crying rule in public had been broken. Sad because a man and his daughter died as well as 7 others in a horrific accident, but beautiful because it humanized Black men in a world that often strips them of their humanity. 

Crying is one of the healthiest ways to cope and express emotions. According to WebMD, “Crying releases stress, and therefore is a great practice when it comes to staying mentally healthy.”

But society continues to reinforce that crying, especially in public, is a negative attribute in every way possible. Combined with America’s fascination with sports… we don’t give our athletes time or space to show emotions, to live outside of their respective sport(s); and if you’re an NBA or NFL fan, chances are the subjects of such reinforcement are young Black men. 

While the world witnessed notable Black men crying for weeks after the news broke and at the memorial service, they probably didn’t think much of it. But millions of Black men saw those same tears and raw emotions and realized it’s ok to do the same. And that’s a huge win for their long-term mental health, and ultimately their families and communities. I probably won’t immediately start crying the next time I’m hit with tragic news, but if it hits me hard… I now know it’s ok to do so. If WebMD and other studies are correct regarding crying helping our mental health, then by not doing so would do the exact opposite. Compound that by decades and decades of not crying, and you can imagine the negative impact and toll it can take on someone’s mental health and the communities they live in.

Most change isn’t easy, but most change is good, and inevitable.

We all wish Kobe and Gianna were still here. But if through Kobe’s tragic departure millions of Black men can realize that showing emotion is a strength and not a weakness, then Kobe might’ve made his biggest impact of all, and it had nothing to do with basketball. 

Thank you, Kobe. 

Similar Read: Mamba’s Gone, and We Just Can’t Believe It

Without Kliff Kingsbury

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

Back in 2002, Detroit rapper Eminem released his fourth studio album “The Eminem Show,” an album that featured one of his biggest hits, “Without Me.” In typical fashion, he mocks everyone from boy band members to then-Vice-President Dick Cheney in this song. He also compares himself to Elvis Presley as a White man getting rich and famous off a primarily Black art form (rap) and that his influence on hip hop was so big, it could not prosper without him (thus the “Without Me” title.) 

2002 would also be the last year Kliff Kingsbury played quarterback at Texas Tech. Following that season, Kingsbury was drafted by the New England Patriots and received a Super Bowl ring that year despite being on the injured reserve. He spent the next several years being an NFL and Canadian Football League journeyman. He would begin his coaching career with the University of Houston leading up to his present-day coaching position with the Arizona Cardinals.

Eminem in “Without Me” surmises, given his stature in rap, he’ll always be important and relevant, and remember he mentioned being a White star in a “black” arena. 

Well… 

NFL head coaches bank their success on players whose racial makeup is 70 percent Black; yet all but 4 of the 32 head coaches in the NFL are White and, with the exception of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, have a mirroring White owner. 

The past two years have truly been awful for the hiring of Black and Brown coaches. Of all the Black coaches fired last year, all but Brian Flores in Miami, were replaced by a White coach. Most like Kingsbury, who had NO NFL head coaching experience prior to being offered the position. Same this season, six open head coaching positions, all but one, Ron Rivera to Washington, were White. I believe Marvin Lewis with the Cowboys was the only Black coach to be offered an interview. 

Kliff Kingsbury’s hiring is the epitome of coaching in the NFL. White coaches are given praise and promotion without merit or substance, while Black and Brown coaches can’t even get an interview. Kliff Kingsbury’s career is typical of most younger newly hired White coaches. Coaches who’ve been around, possibly coached, had coffee with, shared an Uber whatever connection to be made to justify recent hirings, they’ve been made. 

You be the judge:

Kingsbury ‘s quarterback during his coaching tenure…

University of Houston – Case Keenum (finished Houston career with multiple NCAA Division I passing records) 

Texas A&M – Johnny Manziel (won the 2012 Heisman Trophy)

Texas Tech – Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes (do I need to explain these guys)

Arizona Cardinals – Kyler Murray (number overall pick 2019 NFL Draft) 

It’s important to note that Kingsbury so far as a head coach has a losing record. As Texas Tech’s head coach he went 35-40, and in his first season with Arizona, 5-10-1. Despite having at Texas Tech the greatness of Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes, Kingsbury had four losing seasons out of the six he coached for Texas Tech. 

How does a guy with a losing college record get an NFL head coaching job? Just because he smiled at Baker Mayfield a few times? While guys like Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, you know the one Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback for, can’t even get an interview. 

We can all talk about this. We can see it on sports debate shows. We can read about it in the papers. The only force capable of truly making a change is the NFLPA (NFL players association). Said association has an upcoming collective bargaining agreement and we hope, this issue is a top priority.  

Similar Read: Segregated Rosters 

Hall-of-Fame Players Weigh in on Myles Garrett, We Should All Take a Listen

by with 2 Comments FeaturedSports

Perspectives are important. Last week, shortly after the unfortunate incident occurred at the end of the Browns – Steelers game, 4 NFL Hall of Famer’s weighed in on who Myles Garrett is, and what should happen to him as a result of his actions. While everyone seems to have an opinion on this fight and what should happen to Myles Garrett, very few of us can say we know him personally, and very few can say, “I’ve played in the NFL and have either experienced or seen similar situations play out.”

Well, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson, have a slightly different – less brash reaction than most TV pundits… because they’ve lived it and seen it before.

While we don’t have to agree with them, and maybe they are biased considering their strong affiliations with the NFL as former players or coaches, their experiences and perspectives are unique and important because they’ve been there before, and that credibility can’t be discounted or brushed aside.

Similar Read: Rudolph Kicks, Garrett Swings, But Only One Suspended… Why?