To New York Daily News sports writer and racial conspiracy theorist Carron J. Phillips, the white helicopters are on the way and they're coming after black quarterbacks in college and pro football. White people who offer any criticism about black quarterback prospects are really nothing more than racists.
Phillips is a black writer who pins his accusations of racism largely on the treatment of three black quarterbacks -- Tyrod Taylor of the Buffalo Bills, Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans and Lamar Jackson of Louisville University (in photograph above).
The Daily News race-baiter has previously blasted white sports writers for not hyping Jackson, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2016. Jackson is a highly skilled quarterback and a touchdown maker supreme, but Phillips alleges whites can't look past Jackson's race:
"To many, the stats and production on the field don’t matter because all they see is an 'athlete' instead of a quarterback.
"The notion is layered in prejudice and is starting to get very old."
Phillips acknowledges that several black quarterbacks have played in national championship college games, but is suspicious about why they are "so heavily criticized" by NFL scouts. He suspects race is the base, especially because white passer Mitch Trubisky of North Carolina was drafted ahead of Watson, star QB for the 2016 national champion Clemson Tigers.
It also irks Phillips that ESPN football analyst Todd McShay urged Jackson, only a sophomore, to stay in college for at least another year:
''The idea that Jackson would somehow be incapable of excelling at quarterback in the NFL is something that almost every black quarterback has to face, whether it be Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson.
...
"The sad thing about this situation is that even if Jackson does declare for the NFL and becomes successful, he will still deal with prejudices due to the color of his skin while playing in a league that has seen a black quarterback lead his team to the Super Bowl in four of the last five years -- Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson (twice), and Cam Newton."
Taylor has started 15 of 16 games for Buffalo this season and will be the starter in a playoff game against Jacksonville this coming weekend. After the Bills started out 5-4, he turned in a poor performance in the team's 10th game of the season, passing for only 50 yards. He was benched for a game, and white man Nathan Peterman got the start the following week. However, he threw five interceptions in a blowout loss, prompting Buffalo to re-insert Taylor as the starter for the rest of the season. Phillips, with his "x-ray vision," still sees the taint of racism in Buffalo's handling of the black quarterback:
"Three steps forward and two steps back.
"Some would call that progress.
"I say it’s plain old prejudice."
It seems Phillips is interjecting race where it doesn't belong. It's not uncommon for starting athletes to get benched during or after an off game.
And what about pro scouts criticizing black quarterbacks? NFL teams typically want quarterbacking prospects to fit a certain mold, including height and arm strength, among other qualities, and that's why the name QB from the big school sometimes gets drafted after a lesser-known name. Besides that, how many quarterbacks with just two years of college experience have become instant NFL stars? Not many.
Benching one quarterback briefly, critiquing a young college star are not grounds for charges of racism. These accusations are, however, proof of media bias, as well as job security for the columnist who focuses on the intersection of social issues, race and sports.
