 |
| 'I’m for the black guy. I’m just saying I don’t like the dynamic for RG3.' - Skip Bayless (Getty Images) |
Back in April, everyone expected the Redskins to take Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III with the second-overall selection. But it was something of a surprise when, 100 picks later, Washington drafted another quarterback, Michigan State's Kirk Cousins. That choice officially started the clock on the inevitably absurd storyline that was to follow: the 'Skins have unwittingly created a quarterback controversy.
| Vital Info: Redskins |
 Freeman: Redskins 2012 Team Preview 2012 Schedule • Roster Latest news updates • Fantasy outlook |
| Full 2012 Projections: Pete Prisco • Pat Kirwan |
All that remained: finding the proper vehicle to deliver the message. And by "proper vehicle" we mean "Troll-provoking contrarian in need of a break from blindly defending Tim Tebow." Enter ESPN's Skip Bayless, who has made a handsome living off inflammatory rhetoric, often with almost no substantiation beyond "I'M SAYING THESE THINGS IN A VERY LOUD VOICE." So what comes next shouldn't be shocking other than it took Bayless four months to say it.
(Hat tip to Sarah Kogod of the Sports Bog for transcribing this silliness.)
“Some foolish Redskins fans -- fans, foolish, doesn’t that go together, right? -- they’re gonna sit back and say, ‘God, RG3 was struggling," Bayless said Monday on ESPN's First Take. "He fumbled, he threw a couple of bad passes. Maybe Kirk Cousins is better right now. Maybe we should go with Kirk.’ NO! I don’t want to see that. I don’t want to set up that dynamic.
“I’m going to throw it out there,” Bayless continued. “You also have the black/white dynamic and the majority of Redskins fans are white and it’s just human nature if you’re white to root for the white guy. It just happens in sports. Just like the black community will root for the black quarterback.
“I’m for the black guy. I’m just saying I don’t like the dynamic for RG3. It could stunt his growth in the NFL.”
Thank god Bayless is willing to take a stand, cross the racial divide and support RG3 … along with everybody else -- white, black, burgundy, gold, whatever -- in the D.C. area who never ever wants to see Rex Grossman take the field again.
So yes, this is quite possibly the dumbest thing you will read this week. Thankfully, Kogod links to this helpful story in the Washington Post on the racial dynamic among Redskins fans. And while we're not naive enough to believe that racism (or racial favoritism) no longer exists, we feel confident in writing that RG3's ability transcends skin tones. Call it a hunch.
Put another way: following Bayless' logic, white Panthers fans would have long since mobilized to get Jimmy Clausen in the starting lineup. Either this is the quietest protest in history or everybody's quite pleased with Cam Newton's development. Also worth noting: even if Bayless' theories in sociology were rooted in fact, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, D.C. is 38.5 percent white and 50.7 percent black. RG3 would have the support of the majority of people in the region. Hey, there's a reason the town is affectionately known as "Chocolate City."
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.
