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

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 

Will Black Quarterbacks Dominate the NFL in 10 Years?

by with 2 Comments CultureFeaturedSports

For the first time in NFL history, 4 of the 8 teams headed to the divisional playoffs will be led by Black quarterbacks, including the likely MVP candidate, Lamar Jackson.

Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens are 14-2 and the #1 seed in the AFC. He led the league in touchdown passes (36) this year and broke the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season (1,206). Told by many that he wouldn’t be able to play QB at the next level, most notably former GM Bill Polian, he defied the odds. Polian finally apologized admitting he was wrong, but still found an excuse to not to vote Jackson to the All-Pro team… a snub to say the least.

(the other three…)

Russell Wilson, who will likely finish second to Jackson in MVP voting this year, is already a 7-time Pro Bowler with a Super Bowl Championship under his belt. At 5’11, he’s not your typical White tall pocket quarterback… but who cares, because all he does is win, and win when it matters… he’s 16-3 in prime-time games and 31-7 after a loss.

Patrick Mahomes, who already has an MVP title in his young career, was one play away from making it to the Super Bowl last year. He threw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns last season, which had only been done once before in NFL history (Peyton Manning). He will likely be the first quarterback in history to sign a $200 million dollar deal.

Last but not least, DeShaun Watson, who might be the most talented of them all, led the Houston Texans back from a 16-0 deficit to defeat the Buffalo Bills in overtime this past weekend in their wildcard playoff game. I’m sure he’ll win an MVP title before his career is over. If you’ve seen Watson play, whether at Clemson or with the Texans, you know he’s special… so special Oakland Raiders HC John Gruden called him Michael Jordan. He’s also not just running around playing backyard football as many commentators like to suggest, he’s a true student of the game.

History should never let us forget that the Chicago Bears traded up to draft Mitch Trubisky ahead of Mahomes and Watson (and Jackson). A decision that has yet to work out and could negatively impact their franchise for a decade. 

White GM’s and coaches used to think only White quarterbacks were smart enough to play in the NFL, which led to most (excuse me, all) quarterbacks being White, tall, and traditional pocket passers. Black athletic quarterbacks in college, who could pass from the pocket and also run when the pocket broke down, would be forced to play other positions (such as receiver).

But times change, and equality improves faster than usual when said equality increases revenue for stakeholders. You can argue that improvement has been most evident in sports, specifically at the quarterback position in the NFL. 

Not much has changed in the front office in regard to the decision-makers being mostly White men; but, enough or most of them now realize that dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson or DeShaun Watson can lead a team at the next level, and win with often complex playbooks that would’ve never been handed over to them 20, 30, or 40 years ago. They also sell more jerseys, boost ratings, and keep fans engaged, despite PR blunders like the Kaepernick situation or really bad officiating that leaves you scratching your head week in and week out.

Considering their success, especially Jackson and Watson, will we see more quarterbacks like them starting in the NFL? YES. The NFL is what you call a copycat league. I’m not sure teams can duplicate the success of the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans with quarterbacks like Jackson and Watson, but they will die trying… and spend a ton of money in the process.

Similar Read: Just Play, We Know What’s Best

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?

Bigotry Killed the Football Star (The NFL is Running Out of Chances)

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

In a previous article, I wrote about how successful the National Football League continues to be despite the past several seasons. The National Football League has experienced its fair share of controversial incidents. 

And trust the NFL will be fine, but… being as popular and as important as it is in 2019, will come to an end. 

Gonna use the classic one-hit-wonder song, Video Killed the Radio Star (1979) by the English new wave band The Buggles, to illustrate my point. 

This song has historical significance because it was the first music video aired on MTV, forever changing the landscape of music.

From that point, music was no longer just about making an album, getting radio play, and then going on tour. 

Music videos allowed pre-MTV artists to present themselves to a younger population, and for those apart of the “MTV” revolution, it allowed them to not only build a fanbase through their music, but videos as well (such as MJ’s Thriller). 

Radio, of course, continued, but DJ’s controlling what you heard was now over. That power and control had forever shifted to multiple players.

The NFL seems to be the radio of late whereas the National Basketball Association is MTV, Spotify, SoundCloud, basically anything but the boring radio. 

NBA owners and commissioner Adam Silver seem to have the formula for a winning culture, which includes both the players and fan base alike. A formula or culture the NFL simply doesn’t have.

Like radio stations and their bosses caring less about anything not directly linked to increasing their profits, the NFL wants no parts of. 

MTV caved to pressuring from noble English artists like David Bowie to play videos by Black artists like Michael Jackson. Think about that… in 1981, MTV didn’t want to play MJ. Yes, that Michael Jackson… and before you could blink, they came out with Yo! MTV Raps a few years later.

The NBA got rid of racist LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling. The NBA listened to players about playing back-to-back games, and now the NBA is listening to fans to curb players sitting games. 

The NFL on the other hand, we still don’t know what a catch is! And the newly implemented rules to protect the quarterback seem to be the latest change, which isn’t sitting well with their players or fans. 

Disclaimer – I’ve never played organized football. I fully support the NFL’s effort to curb concussions, head injuries, and increase the overall safety in football. However, new rules seem to protect one position the most… the quarterback. 

Why? 

It’s two-fold… the QB is the single most important player in any team sport, BUT (and you know it’s coming)… many believe that because the position of QB is still resoundingly White, more protection must be made to avoid injuries and further their careers. 

This new rule began in 2018. (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9(b)) calls for a “roughing the passer” penalty when a defensive player lands on a passer “with all or most of the defender’s weight.” In other words, falling on a quarterback is illegal, even when it’s the result of an otherwise legal hit.

Defensive players and surprisingly even former quarterbacks like Steve Young question these new “can’t touch the quarterback” rules.

These rules have changed the course of NFL history, literally. Case and point… last years AFC title game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots, New England QB Tom Brady was gifted a roughing the passer call, which of course led to a touchdown and ultimately a win in overtime. 

Then there’s the incident between Cleveland Browns Lineman Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Mason Rudolph. The helmet swung that has been seen around the world. 

The optics – A big muscle-bound Black man swinging his helmet against a clean-cut White man. 

The facts – both Garrett AND Rudolph contributed to the brawl. Yes, Garrett deserves a heavier punishment for swinging his helmet, but that’s about it. 

The outcome – Out of all players involved only the Black players received suspensions. Rudolph, the White quarterback only received a fine. 

The NFL should be careful… I can see and hear that Buggles music video playing now. 

Similar Read: Corporate Social Justice, By Jay-Z 

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

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

Last week an ugly altercation played out at the end of the Cleveland Pittsburgh game. Most people woke up to clips of Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett swinging his helmet and striking Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph in the head, but very few, including the media, took time to watch the entire play.

Instead, the media, pundits, and millions of fans jumped to conclusions suggesting that Garrett should be suspended for the rest of the season if not longer. Some suggested he should be banned from the NFL, and former player and MNF anchor Booger McFarland even suggested that he should charged with assault. It’s even rumored that the Cleveland Police entered the locker room after the game.

But when you look at the entire play, Mason Rudolph kicks Myles Garrett in the private area, he is clearly seen trying to yank his helmet off, and he’s going after Garrett despite his teammate separating them from their initial tussle on the ground. All this happened BEFORE Myles swung his helmet. That’s the definition of provoking someone. Did Myles overreact, absolutely. Should he be penalized, fined, suspended, absolutely. I think he would be the first person to admit that, but to suggest that he wasn’t provoked or triggered to react at all is reckless. It’s bad journalism in the least, and racist at the very worst.  

Within hours, the NFL indefinitely suspended Myles Garrett (for at least the rest of the season – 6 games), Pittsburgh’s Maurice Pouncey who threw several punches and kicks at Garrett was suspended for 3 games, and Larry Ogunjobi who shoved Rudolph to the ground was suspended for 1 game.

But what about Mason Rudolph, who’s now been seen in multiple still shots kicking, attempting to yank Garrett helmet off, and even reaching to grab Garrett’s private parts, what punishment will he face for his part in all this? As of now, nothing. The man who literally started all this… gets nothing? Is that fair?

To make things worse, Myles Garrett and the other two players who were suspended are Black, and Rudolph is White.

Why were the they suspended, and not him? Race is inevitable in sports but did that play a role in the decision? Despite Rudolph’s actions, does he not deserve any punishment, a suspension, fine, etc? Whether the punishments or lack there of are warranted, it looks bad. No pun intended, but the NFL continues to drop the ball… and this is just another example.

You Can’t “Uninvite” Us, We Weren’t Coming

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

The Philadelphia Eagles, like any professional sports team that wins a World Championship, were invited to the White House to celebrate their accomplishment. As a team with vocal players like Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long, it came as no surprise that many of them chose not to attend the event, scheduled for today. When President Trump was made aware of the low team attendance that was expected, despite the fact that several Eagles publicly stating that they wouldn’t attend shortly after winning the Super Bowl, he “rescinded” his invitation citing the Eagles’ dislike of the NFL’s new national anthem policy.

Related: Anthem Penalties: We Are Who We Thought They Were

In the White House statement, Trump again associated standing for the national anthem with patriotism and respect for the military. It is unclear whether he is just too narrow-minded to understand the full depth of the issue, or if he just doesn’t care and sees this matter as a win for his base. Either way, he conveniently ignores why the players were kneeling during the national anthem last season, which was in protest to social injustice and police brutality (not to mention that the Eagles’ players did stand for the anthem every game last season). While Trump likes to argue that these men do not care about their country, a strong argument could be made that they actually care more about their country than he does because they recognize injustice and are actively working to address it and make positive changes.

Trump has made it clear that he does not have the ability to understand things past their face value. The Eagles decision not to attend, prior to being “uninvited,” is a sign that they’re doing something right as a group, which has proven to be active in combating social injustice in America. I hope to see them continue to speak up and support causes they believe in, regardless of the bullying tactics that Trump uses to discourage positive discourse.

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What’s The Difference? LeBron and the Hypocrisy of Politics

by with One Comment Sports

Back in the day, I’m talking way before hashtags, Dr. Dre dropped his classic 2001 Chronic album. One of the lead singles was “What’s the difference,” a song in which Dr. Dre questioned why he had been the target of so much criticism for doing the same things other rappers had done in their careers. The song reminds me of the criticism of LeBron James, a criticism he receives that’s simply not exclusive to him as a player. 

Related: Anthem Penalties? They Are Who We Thought They Were

Despite very few flaws in his game, LeBron SHOULD get criticized for his blah career free throw percentage (upper 70s) and the fact that he averaged 4 turnovers a game this season, which is 2x more than his buddy Chris Paul.

But that’s not the criticism. Instead, most of the criticism and negative talking points about him have nothing to do with his actual game on the court. Two of them come to mind…

Taking his talents to South Beach and creating a “super team.”

So what. I’ve been to Cleveland several times, and I’ve been Miami several times as well… it’s a no-brainer. But that’s not the main gripe, it’s this myth that he “created” a super team and he was the first to do it. 

Yes, LeBron, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade were the first stars to construct the nucleus of a team; however, General Managers have been building teams with multiple stars for years. No team has ever won a championship without multiple all-star caliber players.

Let’s look at a few… Bird doesn’t win without Parish and McHale. Thomas doesn’t win without the Bad Boys. Jordan doesn’t win without Harper, Rodman, and Pippen.

And the second critique… Lebron’s not a “killer.”

A very subjective measurement of a player, and one that LeBron apparently doesn’t have. Lebron lacking the “Jordan” or “Kobe” killer mentality comes from his deferment to pass in situations rather than take a contested shot because he’s the best player. And the best player does whatever it takes to win.

Despite being the only player to average a triple-double in the NBA finals, leading multiple statistical categories on both finals teams for the past four years, and three NBA finals MVPs… he’s not a killer? 

I don’t get it. I’m obviously a LeBron fan. But I just don’t understand the furious hate LeBron receives when other notable players seem to escape the same level of disdain.

I said all that to say this… 

Considering serious social and political issues in our country, the uncanny criticism of LeBron is akin to the hypocrisy of American politics. Perfect example, Roseanne Barr was recently fired from her show for a series of racially motivated comments. The right has gone crazy suggesting a violation of free speech – the same free speech that NFL players exercised by silently kneeling during the National Anthem that they said was disrespectful to the flag and military, therefore justifying Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reed not having a job. 

Perceptions and opinions have dangerously turned into facts. If having discussions and problem-solving were hard before, then they’ll likely be much tougher moving forward… tougher than Lebron and the Cavaliers playing the Golden State Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals. Just don’t say that in front of Kobe and Michael Jordan fans, because they simply won’t see the difference.

Point out the hypocrisy… it’s staring us in the face everyday. 

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Anthem Penalties? They Are Who We Thought They Were

by with No Comment Featured

Don’t let em off the hook. 

We’ve all seen it and laughed each time we watched it. I’m referring to the classic line, “The Bears are what we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!”, press conference rant by the late great NFL head coach Dennis Green. To recap, Coach Green was referencing his Arizona Cardinals blowing a 4th quarter lead vs the top team in their conference, and eventual Super Bowl-bound Chicago Bears. Chicago was down 20 and made a great comeback to win the game, one of the greatest in the regular season.

Related: [2017 In Review] Kaepernick Vs. The NFL… The LCR Responds…

Keeping with the NFL theme, this week the 32 NFL owners and commissioner Rodger Goodell have concluded players must stand for the playing of the national anthem or face punishment.

The particulars of how the rule should be implemented and the corresponding penalties haven’t been mapped out just yet. And though owners and commissioner haven’t consulted the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) with this ruling, they did state if players did not want to stand they could wait in the locker room. See, that was nice of them.

And this is where the Dennis Green reference comes into play. The NFL owners are who we thought they were. Yeah yeah I know some owners have come out and stated they would pay the fines of their players. Some owners have expressed they believe in the players’ right to protest, and others are somewhere in between, reluctant to order players to stand but concerned about the bottom line… money.

These expressions come from a collective of owners whose average age is 70, that’s the average… 70. They make Congress look like Freshman orientation. They’re ALL billionaires and ALL except Shahid Khan are White. In other words, they literally have nothing in common with their employees, the players. And they don’t care to have anything in common. As Dennis Green said, “we let them off the hook” and the NFLPA is on the verge of doing so if they let the owners get away with enacting such a draconian rule without their consent and input.

The NFLPA must not allow the narrative to be spun around as if the players have presented a problem with kneeling during the anthem to protest injustices against Black people in America. They must not allow the virtually lost point of the protests, that they have NOTHING to do with the American flag or anthem directly. It has everything to do what the protests were about. If the protests were for cancer, the storyline would have lasted a week and nothing else would have been said about it.

The owners are exactly who we think they are. They’re a bunch of super rich old men who have allowed the national anthem protests to empower and transform the role and importance of players, specifically Black players. They want that power back, not to mention they completely disagree with why the protests started in the first place. The NFLPA once had a lead with the protests and now the owners are staging a comeback. Don’t allow the owners to come back and snatch victory away in the fourth quarter. The stakes are too high.

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NFL Owners Cave to Trump… “Show Respect”

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

You can tell me where to line up. How to defend a certain play. Even what I should eat before a game. All that falls under what we call “coaching,” and the NFL probably does more of it than any other professional league. But when the NFL, or any organization in America for that matter, starts telling their employees what and who they should respect; as Americans, we should all question them and the current state of our country that makes anyone think it’s acceptable to render such a “rule.” This is America, and in America, it’s our right to stand… or not.

In 2018, the fact that our government, our institutions, or an employer, regardless of how powerful they might be, can make such demands is troubling. Times change, and democratic nations must make sure that change is always progressive and inclusive.

The NFL owners are a wealthy-predominantly-white-older-group of men. To say they lack diversity is an understatement. More than 70% of their players are Black, but it’s clear they didn’t consider their opinions, or consult their Union, prior to voting on this issue.

There’s only one reason for such a ruling. And believe it or not, it started at a Trump rally in rural Alabama. Yup, Donald Trump has done it again. The seeds he sowed months ago by rallying his base over this non-political issue and calling NFL players sons of bitches, has now blossomed and come to fruition. Despite many NFL owners being caught on tape at recent meetings criticizing Trump for his comments regarding their league and players, they’ve essentially caved to his far-right isolationist demand.

“All team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem.”

…That’s the language released from the league office this morning.

Show respect for the flag and anthem. Because in America, we now threaten your employment and income if you choose to exercise your constitutional right.

But… there’s an exception… Players will not be required to be on the field during the anthem. So say 45 of the 53 active players decide to stay in the locker room week after week during the anthem, and Trump gets back on his bullhorn to criticize them and the owners for allowing them to do so via their new rule, should we expect the owners to be strong and not cave in this time? Probably not.

Gotta love strong-arm patriotism that ignores constitutional rights.

[Expect LCR Contributors to weigh in.]