The professional sports conversation has been tainted with endless politics.
Escaping from politics is no longer an option.
But an NFL superstar called out an ESPN reporter pushing one racial narrative.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has a bone to pick with ESPN football reporter Adam Schefter.
Schefter, who’s best known in league circles for breaking news, put out a story that Jackson believes there is still racial bias in the NFL against black quarterbacks.
Schefter’s “report” was based on a conservation Jackson had during an episode of LeBron James’s talk series The Shop.
James and other guests were perpetuating the narrative that there is still a stigma against black quarterbacks, and Jackson seemed to agree.
However, Jackson seemed to take issue with Schefter misrepresenting his feelings or blowing the story out of proportion.
There’s also a possibility that Jackson’s words could have been clipped out of context.
That was not my response to that specific question don’t start that ADAM🙄 https://t.co/pzH2b1YWVS
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 5, 2022
The narrative that the NFL discriminates against black quarterbacks is preposterous at this point.
Out of 32 teams, at least eight are set to have black quarterbacks in 2022-23, and the number could go as high as 12 depending on free agency and the draft.
Four of the top five highest paid players in the league are black quarterbacks.
This is a common problem of the left: in order for their grievance narratives to persist, they have to have amnesia when it comes to progress.
The conversation about Jackson in The Shop was also missing important context.
Some teams were intrigued at the possibility of Jackson switching positions because of his elite speed and quickness, but he ultimately went in the first round of the NFL draft.
His situation was not unique, either.
There was talk of Tim Tebow switching positions after his career at Florida; some wanted him to play tight end, which he briefly did years later.
They both had storied college careers and won the Heisman Trophy (Tebow also won two national championships), but had questions about their throwing ability.
They both had accuracy and mechanical issues, but Jackson was a better talent overall and has developed into a top quarterback.
Jackson also may have taken issue with Schefter because he has attempted to stay out of hot-button political conversations.
Jackson even raised eyebrows when he had a brief Twitter exchange with Donald Trump in 2020.
After seeing a video of Jackson’s college teammate Jaire Alexander congratulating his being drafted by the Ravens, Trump tweeted: “Really nice to see this and, what a great pick!”
Jaire Alexander’s reaction to his college teammate Lamar getting drafted was priceless 💯 @JaireAlexander @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/12wn9ZNztC
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) April 18, 2020
That prompted Jackson to tweet: “Truzz Trump,” which made liberals gasp.
Truzz Trump https://t.co/gy9LQO6nSA
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 18, 2020
Jackson later explained:
“Someone actually texted me about that and was like, ‘Trump just tweeted you.’ So I was like, ‘Yeah,’ and got on Twitter. I had seen he was making a statement about me being a great pick, my teammate congratulating me and stuff like that. I was just like, ‘I appreciate that.’ That’s what Truss means, I’ve been saying it all year. I don’t know why it got blown up like that…I wasn’t making no political statements or anything like that. I was just, like I said, just agreeing to what he was saying about me and my teammate. That’s all.”
Jackson seems content to go about his business without being a part of grand political narratives.
He has more wisdom than most of the personalities at ESPN.