What happened to Kentucky quarterback Will Levis wasn’t funny. It felt cruel watching someone experience their most humiliating moment on the night in which their dreams were supposed to come true. But for African-Americans — or at least for myself — it was impossible to ignore the irony. For decades, this league ( NFL) and this game have dehumanized, disrespected, and even blackballed Black quarterbacks. And on the day in which four — don’t forget about Lamar Jackson, either — of them made history, it was the white one who was stuck on the other side of the coin — for once. The First Round of the NFL Draft wasn’t some type of vengeful redemption. It was the next step of a flawed system rectifying itself. A historic night for Black NFL QBs Thursday, April 27, 2023, will go down as one of the most important days in the history of football, as it was the day that the league officially treasured Black quarterbacks more than their white counterparts. Earlier in the day, Lamar Jackson announced that he and the Baltimore Ravens had agreed in principle to a five-year, $260 million contract extension ($185 million guaranteed) — making him and Jalen Hurts the two highest-paid players in the NFL. A few hours later, Bryce Young became the No. 1 overall pick as he’s the new face of the Carolina Panthers. C.J. Stroud was up next at No. 2 to the Houston Texans, as they became the first two Black quarterbacks to ever go 1-2 in the NFL Draft. Two picks later, Anthony Richardson went fourth overall to the Indianapolis Colts. Three Black quarterbacks were taken in the Top 5 — think about that for a moment. Another milestone for Black QBs Now think of Jan. 31, 1988. That was the day that Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl, win a Super Bowl, and take home Super Bowl MVP. Remember April 21, 2001. The day that Michael Vick made history as the first Black quarterback to ever be drafted with the No. 1 pick. And then reflect on what we witnessed in February at Super Bowl LVII, as Patrick Mahomes and Hurts marked the first time the NFL’s biggest game featured two Black quarterbacks. All of those dates and moments led us to what took place on Thursday night in Kansas City. Because from the Super Bowl to the NFL Draft, 2023 has been a historic year for Black quarterbacks. Now let’s get back to the white quarterback. Will Levis, all hype? Over the last few weeks, Levis had been experiencing what automatically comes with his whiteness — privilege. Slowly, but surely, his name was skyrocketing up mock drafts, as he became an intriguing prospect that teams were starting to take more seriously. There were internet rumors that he could go as high as No. 1 overall. And ESPN’s analytics had him destined to be a Top 10 pick. It didn’t happen. We don’t know when Levis will be drafted. It could be on Day Two or even Day Three. Your guess is as good as mine, as we’ve never quite seen anything like this, with the “coveted” white quarterback having to wait in purgatory while his Black counterparts celebrated at their draft parties. But, who knows, this might be the best thing for Levis’ career. Five years ago, Jackson was left in the green room as he was the last pick of the first round. By Thursday, the former unanimous MVP was the highest-paid player the game has ever seen. Despite how bad things have been, and still are, for Black coaches in the NFL, the tide has been increasingly changing for Black quarterbacks. And that’s what made Thursday night feel so good. Despite how bad of an evening it was for Will Levis, it was a monumental one for any Black boy or man that’s ever been under center, or in shotgun formation. Quarterback is the most popular, and important, position in all of sports. And on Thursday, the NFL finally acknowledged that the Black men who play it are not only valued but needed more than ever. Relatedbetting sitelatest sports betting sitesapps for sports bettingonline live bettingwatch live sportsports betting cash out
Related Posts
Manchester City have made an official bid of £41 million for the services of Nathan Ake which has now been accepted by Bournemouth, according to wide-spread reports.
Apparently, the two clubs have held talks about a potential transfer even before the Premier League season ended, but Bournemouth s eventual relegation from the top flight practically confirmed his departure from the Vitality.
As previously reported by David Ornstein of , City had drawn up a list of prospective candidates to fill in the gap in their defence left by the departure of long-serving captain Vincent Kompany last summer, which included the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli, Milan Skriniar of Inter Milan, Mykola Matviyenko of Shakhtar Donetsk, David Alaba of Bayern Munich and Dan-Axel Zagadou o…
FIFA has welcomed the news that Hakeem al-Araibi is to be released from prison in Thailand and allowed to return home to Australia.
Al-Araibi s lawyer confirmed to SBS News on Monday that his client is to be freed by Thai authorities, having been detained since last November on an Interpol notice issued at the request of Bahrain.
The 25-year-old fled his homeland in 2014 before being granted permanent residence in Australia, where he is on the books of semi-professional club Pascoe Vale.
The pro-democracy advocate had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in absentia by the Bahrain regime for alleged vandalism but denied any involvement.
A campaign championed by former Australia captain Craig Foster has been calling for FIFA and human rights groups to…
Manuel Pellegrini has denied West Ham are considering a January move for Edin Dzeko.
The Roma striker played for Pellegrini at Manchester City and he suggested this week he would be interested in a Premier League return.
Dzeko hit 16 Premier League goals as Pellegrini s City won the 2013-14 title, but he later fell out of favour and joined Roma in 2015.
Pellegrini, though, said Dzeko is not on his radar when he spoke at a news conference on Thursday.
You can talk about five, six or seven players that are linked with us, Pellegrini told reporters.
We must not talk about one player. I know him well but we are not thinking about that at the moment.
How s Marko doing, Boss?
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd)
West Ham host…
Romelu Lukaku must rediscover the form that fired Inter to the Scudetto in 2021 should he return to the Nerazzurri, former Italy striker Christian Vieri has said.
Lukaku scored 24 goals under the stewardship of Antonio Conte as Inter lifted the Serie A title in the 2020-21 campaign, before returning to Chelsea for a club-record £97.5million fee.
The Belgium international struggled on his Stamford Bridge return, scoring just eight times in 26 Premier League appearances.
Lukaku is widely expected to head back to Inter on loan less than a year after leaving, as Simone Inzaghi looks to assemble his side to reclaim the Scudetto from fierce rivals Milan.
The 29-year-old will hope to regain the confidence he had during his two-year spell with Inter, with no N…
Solskjaer sacked: Ole can´t complain about ´inevitable´ exit – Neville and Ferdinand react to Man Ut
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can have no complaints about his sacking at Manchester United, which became inevitable , according to club greats Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand.
Solskjaer was dismissed on Sunday after a stunning 4-1 defeat to Watford in United s first Premier League match since the international break.
Big home losses to Liverpool and Manchester City had already increased the pressure on the 48-year-old.
Although only those two title-winning teams earned more points (245 for Liverpool, 244 for City) than United (197) during Solskjaer s tenure, the Red Devils have only once endured a worse start to a Premier League season.
That was also under Solskjaer, as United earned just 16 points from 12 games in 2019-20, compared to 17 points this term. Their 2…
Had Euro 2020 actually started on time last year, it s fair to say Pedri wouldn t have been in the Spain squad.
Although he impressed for his country at the 2019 Under-17 World Cup, Pedri did not make a LaLiga appearance until September 2020.
Even earning a spot in Barca s first-team squad wasn t a given after he linked up with them from Las Palmas. It was initially expected he would either go on loan to a smaller LaLiga club, or feature for the B team.
But Pedri suitably impressed Ronald Koeman in pre-season and was fast-tracked into the senior side and he went on to play in all but one of their 38 LaLiga games.
The teenager then earned his first call-up to the Spain squad in March, and at that point few would have bet against him playing a leading role…
Paris Saint-Germain are willing to allow Georginio Wijnaldum to leave next month on loan for the second half of the season and are open to offers, according to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol. The former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder would be interested in returning to the Premier League, and at at the moment, Arsenal are one of the possible destinations.
PSG willing to listen to offers for Georginio Wijnaldum to go out on loan next month. Player would be open to a move back to Premier League. Arsenal thought to be an option.
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh)
Wijnaldum left Liverpool as a free agent at the end of last season, having played a huge part in their quest to return to the top. He made a total of 237 appearances in all competitions for…
According to a report from Sky Italia, Sampdoria have now agreed on a deal with Southampton that would see them sign Manolo Gabbiadini. The forward has struggled with the Premier League club after an initially positive start to life in the Premier League, and now, he appears to be heading over to Serie A.
The deal would be on a loan basis to start off with, although there would be an obligation attached for them to buy him for £10.75 million once the summer transfer window opens.
Upon reaching a certain tally of goals Sampdoria will then pay £450,000, as well as £225,000 more if they end up qualifying for European football.
Gabbiadini had some good moments in the English game, but it certainly feels like his style is better suited to Italian football.
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo believes hosts France and world champions Germany are among the favourites to win Euro 2016, as well as holders Spain and Antonio Conte s Italy.
Didier Deschamps Les Bleus will be expected to mount a strong challenge on home soil, while Joachim Low s side are attempting to add the continental crown to the World Cup they won in 2014.
European Championship holders Spain have been tipped to make amends for their group-stage exit in Brazil two years ago with an improved showing, while Real Madrid star Ronaldo also considers Italy among the leading contenders.
As hosts, France has a strong team to go the distance, he told the Times of India.
Then we have the world champions Germany. They are always favoured and this time the…
Best odds: 6/5
Bookmaker:
Brazil and Ivory Coast will face each other in what will be the second match of the men s tournament at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, at the International Stadium Yokohama, following wins from both teams in their respective openers.
Brazil
Out of the last nine editions of the football tournament at the Olympics, Brazil took part in seven, winning six medals in the process two silver ones, three times the bronze, and finally the gold in 2016. Their thirst for success in this sport has been extremely well documented throughout its history, and it remains strong to this day. The country is a truly fertile breeding ground for talented footballers, having produced a number of those counted among the greatest ever.
In the opening ma…