Sports media has become insanely “woke” over the past few years.
ESPN has led that charge by becoming more political and purging conservative personalities.
And one ESPN analyst was accused of being a racist for a reason that will drive you up a wall.
ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky waded into a racial controversy for an absurd reason.
Orlovsky committed the sin of relaying information he heard about top draft prospect Justin Fields from Ohio State.
With the NFL draft less than a month away, intrigue in draft-eligible players is on the rise.
Coming into the season, Fields was the consensus number two prospect in the draft behind Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but he’s slid on draft boards since then.
Orlovsky was asked why he could be falling, and he said that sources told him there were questions about his work ethic.
I love a good @danorlovsky7 roast sesh as much as anybody BUT..
I think folks are missing that he was answering my question about “Why the narrative has changed about Fields so much?”
He very assertively said “These are not my opinions”
He then went on to give a potential why pic.twitter.com/Wud0ve4tcI
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 31, 2021
Because Fields is black, Orlovsky was blasted for trafficking in racial stereotypes about black quarterbacks.
First, Orlovsky has spoken very highly of Fields and threw water on the criticism that he can’t read defenses and go through his progressions.
PLEASE
STOP
SAYING
JUSTIN
FIELDS
CANT
GET
PAST
HIS
1st
READ pic.twitter.com/xMEWzQbzi6— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) April 1, 2021
But that didn’t stop “woke” sports fans and commentators from coming for his head.
Orlovsky was essentially forced to make an apology video for the great sin of reporting what he heard based on a source.
In regards to Fields….👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/9VgIRyShrB
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) April 1, 2021
ESPN colleague and Ohio State Buckeyes alum Kirk Herbstreit dogpiled on Orlovsky by tweeting:
“Absolutely RIDICULOUS. Even if YOU aren’t saying it…to pass that along from ‘people in the know’ is reckless and absurd!! Embarrassing!!”
By most accounts, Fields has toughness, heart, and work ethic, and this is the time of year where NFL teams spread disinformation in hopes that a prospect could fall to them in the draft, but it’s not out of bounds for Orlovsky to report what he heard in response to why Fields could be falling in some teams’ eyes, and it certainly isn’t racist.
All quarterback prospects get criticized for one reason or another.
Anonymous sources also dinged BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who’s skyrocketed up the draft board to the number two spot to the New York Jets.
They said:
“Johnny Manziel comp without the [drugs]…[Wilson] has character concerns, rich kid who is an entitled brat – uncle owns Jet Blue, parents are a pain, not a leader, selfish, and he’s a know-it-all.”
Whatever happens with the top quarterbacks, the NFL draft is a crapshoot, so nobody will know what analysis was true or untrue for a few years.
