As is the case with most things, it turns out Rush Limbaugh was right all along.
In 2003, Limbaugh resigned from ESPN after saying that the sports media rooting for black quarterbacks to succeed. In 2019, more proof of Limbaugh’s assertion came on Monday via a tweet from none other than ESPN, who posted a “Black QB recap” for Week 4, as part of their “Year of the Black Quarterback” feature.
The graphic listed all the passing stats – excluding turnovers – of all black quarterbacks who got the start in Week 4. The caption highlighted Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston, who led the way in passing yards and touchdowns.
The irony of ESPN posting such a graphic given their history with Limbaugh was not lost on Outkick the Coverage’s Clay Travis, who immediately took the network to task.
It would be hard to find a more clear example of the media rooting for a black quarterback to succeed. However, it’s odd that ESPN would still have this graphic in 2019. When Limbaugh made his comments in 2003, there were only a handful of black quarterbacks in the NFL. As the ESPN graphic shows, nine black quarterbacks got the start on Sunday. A list which doesn’t even include Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton who is injured, and Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who came on in relief of Case Keenum.
With ten black quarterbacks seeing action on Sunday, it’s pretty clear there’s no shortage of black quarterbacks in the NFL.
It’s also noteworthy that, if you include Newton, three of the black quarterbacks in the league are #1 overall draft picks.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn