If A College Football Coach Said This...(Racism)

How would this play out today if the following interaction happened during an interview with a college football coach....

Coach: I believe Smash is better suited for the position he's in.

Reporter: How do you mean?

Coach: Well, guys like Smash and Baxter and even Voodoo, they got a natural gift for running the ball.

Reporter: All three are black. Are you saying this gift has something to do with their skin color?

Coach: What I'm saying, Karen, and I'm saying it in a good way, is that guys like Smash are fearless. They're dangerous. They're like junkyard dogs. I mean you want them carrying the ball. You want them tearing up turf out there.

Reporter: So let me get this straight. White's like Saracen make better quarterbacks because they're inherently smarter.

Coach: Well, if you want to put it that way, you could. But I'm not saying that all black guys are dumb.

If you didn't know, that exchange is from an episode in Season 1 of Friday Night Lights. Just curious how that would play out 12+ years later but maybe more from a College Offensive Coordinator.

Thoughts?

Look next level up, in the NFL what % of running backs are white and what are black. Leans very heavy to black running backs right. So is that racist, or is it just the truth of the matter? Wouldnt that roll down hill to the college level?

The comments from FNL were racist. I say that because the terms "dangerous" and "junk yard dogs" were used. Also was implied that the white guys were smarter, which is why they played QB. This was done for TV/the storyline, obviously.

It's a slippery slope when making a statement like that. You'd be better suited to stay away from it, IMO.

The comments from FNL were racist. I say that because the terms "dangerous" and "junk yard dogs" were used. Also was implied that the white guys were smarter, which is why they played QB. This was done for TV/the storyline, obviously.

 

It's a slippery slope when making a statement like that. You'd be better suited to stay away from it, IMO.

I agree with this.

The comments from FNL were racist. I say that because the terms "dangerous" and "junk yard dogs" were used. Also was implied that the white guys were smarter, which is why they played QB. This was done for TV/the storyline, obviously.

 

It's a slippery slope when making a statement like that. You'd be better suited to stay away from it, IMO.

The white guy being smarter comment, I definitely concur. Stephen A. Smith often uses phrases like "he's a dog... he's a rough-rider." Meaning it in a positive light. That is more along the lines of how I equate the other remarks. I also concur it is a slippery slope, though.

It's pretty tough anymore to say much of anything without someone thinking it's racist. Just stay as boring as possible in your comments and you might be ok.

It's pretty tough anymore to say much of anything without someone thinking it's racist. Just stay as boring as possible in your comments and you might be ok.

It's not as touchy as I think you're making it out to be, but I definitely hear what you are saying.

The white guy being smarter comment, I definitely concur. Stephen A. Smith often uses phrases like "he's a dog... he's a rough-rider." Meaning it in a positive light. That is more along the lines of how I equate the other remarks. I also concur it is a slippery slope, though.

Who the comments are coming from also matters, IMO.

Who the comments are coming from also matters, IMO.

I think context in general, is huge. A guy can draft AJ Green for his fantasy football team and use the reason "because he's dangerous", and it not have a racist tone/connotation to it. He simply means that he's got a chance to score or have a big gain every time he touches the ball. He means it in the figurative sense, not the literal (implying that he's in a gang or carries a gun or whatever). And whether the fantasy football guy is white/black, man/woman, rich/poor doesn't matter.

Orel Hersheiser was the bulldog. Greg Maddox was mad dog. Wade Boggs was even the chicken man for Pete's sake. Didn't matter who was calling them that, none of those comments were considered derogatory.

Who the comments are coming from also matters, IMO.

So would Max be wrong for saying the exact same thing as Stephen A?

So would Max be wrong for saying the exact same thing as Stephen A?

Not necessarily, context matters.

Who the comments are coming from also matters, IMO.

It's not as touchy as I think you're making it out to be, but I definitely hear what you are saying.

I find these statements to be a bit conflicting. If it's not as touchy as one thinks than it shouldn't matter who it comes from. I still think there are two sets of standards and what people can say. I think @woodsrider nailed it.

If you've seen the show, and you can sort of tell from the dialogue that I posted, that the reporter is baiting him to get a story. Problem is, he bit.

I don't really have a problem with the "junkyard dog" or "dangerous" comment because those are pretty accurate I'd think. When the reporter started twisting it on him, he should have known better.

How do you think this would be handled if an Offensive Coordinator said it at a Power Five school?

I find these statements to be a bit conflicting. If it's not as touchy as one thinks than it shouldn't matter who it comes from. I still think there are two sets of standards and what people can say. I think @woodsrider nailed it.

I meant it's not as touchy in regards to "only saying boring things." You can go farther than "boring" and still not have any issues.

There are double standards for racist comments, absolutely. There should be.