Sometimes people just can’t let the past go.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson sat in on a discussion with several prominent black celebrities on LeBron James’ show “The Shop” on a variety of topics. At one point in the conversation, businessman and media personality Maverick Carter directed the conversation to how Jackson was asked if he wanted to switch positions from quarterback to wide receiver before he came to the NFL.
Jackson was an elite athlete at Louisville who won the Heisman Trophy in 2016, and in his final two years passed for 7,203 yards and 57 touchdowns. However, he never completed more than 60 percent of his passes in a single season, something that would obviously cause concern for scouts looking for a consistently accurate quarterback.
So when a report came out that several teams asked him to work out as a wide receiver at the 2016 NFL combine (which Jackson said never happened), Jackson was rightfully confused and firmly stated he would not play any position besides quarterback.
But on “The Shop,” Carter suggested that it was because the NFL is - you guessed it - racist.
“The truth is there’s a lot of history with them not wanting Black guys to play quarterback .. . . tons of history,” Carter said. “It started with, ‘Well, they can’t think quick enough.’ This is going way back, ’70s, ’80s. It’s dying off.”
James added, “It’s dying off, but it’s still there.”
Jackson then said, “It’s still there. That’s why I need that championship.”
Now to Carter’s point, the NFL did go through a time where black men were not thought to be smart enough for the mental aspect that being a quarterback requires. It is a shameful part of the NFL’s history, but that was nearly 50 years ago.
Related: No Surprise: New Name Doesn’t Command Love from Redskins Faithful
Thankfully, the NFL has moved on from that part of their history, and we have now seen dozens of black quarterbacks - Michael Vick, Randall Cunningham, and Warren Moon to name a few - powerfully impact the game over it's history. Just this past year alone, Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, and several other black signal callers dominated the league.
Furthermore, a host of black athletes headlined by Liberty graduate Malik Willis performed brilliantly at the NFL combine during quarterback workouts and were given ample praise for their skills:
An absolute BEAUTY of a throw from @LibertyFootball
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2022
QB @malikwillis 😮
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/nBtecvoB2I
The bottom line is, the school of thought that black men can not play quarterback is gone from the NFL and the only people who think it is a problem are those looking for a problem. By making these remarks, they continued to purport a narrative that is not true and slander an organization for something they are no longer doing.
Let the past and it’s hurt stay there. Learn from it, but be thankful for what is happening today.