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The NFL Draft confirms that black quarterbacks are the face of the league

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DETROIT – For the second time in as a few years, two Black quarterbacks are expected to be chosen amongst the top three picks in the three-day NFL Draft that begins Thursday, and three could go to the first round.

Over the last two NFL seasons, African-American signal-callers have been chosen as first- and second-team Associated Press All-Pro quarterbacks, and black passers have won each the AP League MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards. The best player in the league is a black quarterback. The league’s best rookie is a black point guard. After being sidelined attributable to discrimination for much of the NFL’s history, black quarterbacks now dominate skilled sports’ most successful league, with USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. from the University of Washington are desirous to join this talented group.

Williams, Daniels and Penix, college stars, are coveted by teams trying to excel in top sports positions. This is a far cry from what most black quarterbacks have faced in the draft, and nobody can articulate it higher than Warren Moon.

As a senior at Washington in the 1977–78 season, Moon led the team to a conference championship, helped it win the Rose Bowl and was named conference co-player of the 12 months. However, Moon was not drafted into the NFL, and he only got his probability to play quarterback in the league after he broke passing records and won multiple championships in the Canadian Football League.

The NFL was founded in 1920, “so when you stop and think about… as long as the NFL has been around, what happened to me and many other very talented players wasn’t that long ago” – Moon, the only black quarterback enshrined in the Pro Hall of Fame Football, he recently told Andscape in a telephone interview.

“It really has been like that for all of us for a long time. And now everyone knows the reason: it was simply racism and stereotypes. What we’ve seen recently, especially with so many players drafted over the last 10 years, means we’re now desirable in the draft. The reason for this is also obvious: our success.”

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels during a game against Texas A&M at Tiger Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

In the previous 87 iterations of this process (the first NFL draft was held in 1936), only 28 African American quarterbacks were chosen in the first round, and none were chosen until Doug Williams finally kicked down the door in 1978. However, 16 have been chosen as of 2011 ., including one in each draft except 2016 and 2022. In the 1999 draft, which marked the first time that as many as three black passers were chosen, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith were chosen second and third overall, respectively. In the 2023 draft, the second to feature as many as three African-American quarterbacks chosen in the opening round, Bryce Young was chosen first overall, C.J. Stroud second overall, and Anthony Richardson fourth overall.

On Thursday night, it will be shocking if the Chicago Bears, who own the first overall pick in the draft, didn’t select Caleb Williams, who was the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner during his time at USC. Daniels, who put up eye-opening stats as each a passer and runner at LSU , won the 2023 Heisman Trophy. He is widely considered a top-three pick. Last season, Penix, who throws the scenic deep ball, led Washington to the College Football Playoff National Championship game, where it lost to Michigan and finished 14-1. Despite his injury history, Penix, thanks largely to his standout days as a professional (he has demonstrated elite arm talent in addition to impressive athleticism), is now widely viewed as a high-round prospect, three NFL player personnel officials told Andscape.

Williams, Daniels and Penix will join the NFL in a season by which Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl winner and three-time Super Bowl MVP, is the league’s MVP. Under Mahomes’ direction, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs became the first team since the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005 to win back-to-back Super Bowl championships.

Mahomes will turn 29 in September.

For the second time in five seasons, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the reigning AP League MVP. He is 27 years old. The Houston Texans’ Stroud, the landslide winner of last season’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award, is the league’s fastest rising superstar. He will turn 23 in October.

The fact is that black quarterbacks have turn into the face of the NFL.

According to team officials, coaches and current and former players interviewed by Andscape, with the enormous pressure on football managers and coaches to win, green really is the important color influencing decisions in today’s draft. That established, given their long-standing position at the bottom of the league, the rise of black quarterbacks over the last 10 years is as surprising because it is noteworthy, though to not Doug Williams.

“We (pioneering black quarterbacks) at all times knew this is able to occur. It was only a matter of opportunity,” Andscape Williams, the first black quarterback to begin in the Super Bowl and win the game’s MVP award, said recently. “We at all times had guys who could do what these young guys are doing now, but they did not have the probability to do it.

“Looking at the draft right now, no team can afford to let go of a guy who has the potential to do what a lot of these guys are doing. And not only (appetizers). When you look at so many of these teams now, you’re starting to see more and more guys getting a chance to play as subs. It’s a big difference. For a long time, boys who could become stars had a chance. But you wouldn’t see us in these replacement positions. Now yes. This is a big sign of change.”

Just have a look at the AFC North.

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. participates in drills during an NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2 in Indianapolis.

Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Jackson, Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns and Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers are the projected starters for his or her respective teams. The other two quarterbacks on the Ravens’ roster are also black. Jameis Winston is predicted to play behind Watson in Cleveland. Justin Fields, the Bears’ 2021 first-round draft pick, is Wilson’s backup in Pittsburgh.

For years, quarterback guru Quincy Avery saw this coming.

The groundwork for change began at the local level, said the renowned trainer.

“We’re finally seeing Black quarterbacks getting opportunities at every stage of their development,” Avery told Andscape. “Now we see guys who’ve had the opportunity, irrespective of what part of the country they arrive from, to play quarterback since they were (very young). This is something we’ve not seen before.

“Later, as they moved up (in high school and college), the younger boys suddenly saw that older boys who looked like them were getting a chance to move up. So they just expected to get the same opportunities. This is not a surprise to them. We see the future right now. “We will soon see a league full of black quarterbacks.”

As the saying goes, the die has been solid. He was once prevented from playing the game, now black quarterbacks run it. Given the trends in the NFL Draft, do not be surprised in the event that they proceed like this for a protracted, very long time.

Jason Reid is a senior NFL author at Andscape. He likes watching sports, especially any matches by which his son and daughter participate.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Jalen Hurts discusses joining President Barack Obama on a golf course in Pennsylvania

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Jalen Hurts, football, NFL, air conditioners


The former president of the United States accompanied him to a round of golf this week. Former President Barack Obama was joined on a Pennsylvania golf course this week by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, point guard Saquon Barkley and team owner Jeffrey Lurie. Hurts revealed on the press conference that although he did not have the chance to play with the president, he cautioned that “his day will come.”

According to President Obama, he was at Merion Golf Club on October 29 with Eagles players and the owner. Hurts was on the golf course but couldn’t play attributable to a contract clause that prevented him from doing so. He admitted that he and the previous president got into a discussion about trash; he told Obama that his day would eventually come after they could compete on the green.

He said Obama was “form of like an uncle figure. President Obama, the leader of all times. A beautiful presence. I believe this word is mundane. I can only imagine this lifestyle and all the several things that include it, but still seeing him having fun and talking nonsense; that was cool. I told him I didn’t want these problems yet. I told him I could not play golf straight away. According to the contract, I cannot play golf. But his day will come.

According to , Hurts’ teammate Barkley did just that play. He commented on this experience.

“It was probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” Barkley said. “Very handsome. It’s amazing, truthfully. I spent about 4 or five hours with him and got to do what I really like, which is play golf.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Cleveland is embracing Bronny James the same way they did LeBron James

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CLEVELAND — The collective chants broke out late in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James did his best acting job, keeping his cool in front of a sold-out Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd.

“It was crazy, certainly bigger than I expected,” he said after the Lakers’ 134-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. “It was a nice moment. These songs really captivated me. I had a serious look on my face, but I felt it. I felt really good, especially driving from here. It was a special moment for me.”

Every week after LeBron James and Bronny James became the first father-son duo to play on the same court together in an NBA game on Oct. 22, their return to their native Ohio sparked praise and pride for his or her father, a legendary player who spent 11 years spent in the NBA with the Cavaliers and for his son, who spent his young years at the stadium, watching his father play.

In anticipation of the Lakers’ visit, a love festival began a number of weeks ago. The idea of ​​the Jameses playing on the same team was a preferred topic of conversation in barbershops, especially of their hometown of Akron.

“First of all, we all couldn’t believe that someone would be able to play with their son for that long,” said Jason Andrew, owner of Andrew’s Barbershop in West Akron. “And as for the criticism of LeBron caring for his son, it is no different in corporate America. They care about their sons, why not LeBron?”

Since LeBron James helped the Cavaliers win their only NBA title in 2016, he stays well received by the fans who made Wednesday’s game successful.

“This game brings another level of excitement,” Deonte Edwards, owner of Kutz Barbershop in Akron, said before the game. “It’s always great love when LeBron comes back and it will be the same with Bronny.”

The anticipation also rubbed off on a few of LeBron’s former teammates. Former Cavaliers guard Daniel “Boobie” Gibson is well aware of the love affair Northeast Ohio fans have with their athletes.

“The game in Los Angeles where they made history was more of a look,” Gibson said. “But here it’s more a matter of feel. It’s more authentic. The fans here are more connected to (Bronny’s) story because he’s from here. And they intend to support him.”

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (center) celebrates together with his sons Bronny (left) and Bryce (right) after the Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 26, 2015 in Cleveland .

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Left to right: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James watches his son Bronny during a timeout with teammate Drew Gooden on March 23, 2007 in Cleveland.

AP Photo/Tony Dejak, file

Earlier in the day, before the Lakers’ shootaround, Gibson said his support as a fan can be surreal because he hadn’t seen Bronny James since he was a child.

“What makes this game even bigger is that I saw him in this spot when we lifted the Eastern Conference championship trophy (2006-07),” Gibson said. “Seeing LeBron still playing at the highest level and now his son playing in the league doesn’t seem real. I’m just happy to soak it all in.”

Hours before Wednesday’s game, the Cavaliers organization placed several digital posters at the entrance to the visiting locker room. 15-year-old Bronny appeared at the exhibition in the middle of the Cavaliers’ NBA title celebration, with considered one of his fathers holding the championship and MVP trophies.

During the first timeout of the first quarter, the Cavaliers honored the father and son with a tribute video accommodates the most significant moments of the game of LeBron James and photographs of him and elementary-aged Bronny on the basketball court. The jumbotron also showed the father and son survive a split screen as arena host Ahmaad Crump welcomed them back to Cleveland.

“I was a little angry at halftime (because the Lakers were losing), so I didn’t have a chance to really appreciate (the video), but I heard it,” LeBron James said after the game. “When I heard his name too, that’s when I looked up and I think I hit him in the leg. (The video) was pretty cool.”

The Cavaliers, winners of 5 straight games, were hot as they led by double digits for much of the game. LeBron James got his. He had 26 points and 6 rebounds. At the starting of the fourth round, the Lakers led by 20 points.

Later in the quarter, the fans began chanting: “We want Bronny.” With LeBron James on the bench, Lakers coach JJ Reddick sent his son onto the court with 5:16 left. Several thousand fans stood and cheered. One of those fans was Bronny James’ grandmother, who was once a fixture on the scene during her son’s reign.

“I’m so grateful for all the people in the arena who were chanting his name and cheering him on,” Gloria James told Andscape. “It was special. Bronny worked hard to get to this present day and make it to the NBA. He is worthy and deserves it, I’m very comfortable for him and really comfortable for his dad.

Bronny James, a second-round draft pick of USC, gave his grandmother much more reasons to be comfortable when he scored his first NBA points shortly after entering the game in short stepback sweater, 2:03 left. The bucket means LeBron and Bronny James are the first father and son to attain in an NBA game. Bronny James was scoring points almost to the day when his dad scored his first NBA points against the Sacramento Kings on October 29, 2003.

“To see him score his first NBA basket in the arena where he grew up just down the road from here is an unbelievable moment, an unbelievable moment for him, especially for our family,” LeBron James said. “It’s just cool to be a part of it.”

Bronny James finished the game with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 steal. Fans didn’t get to see the father and son on the court like they did last week, but they left with something that was also memorable – especially for local Eric Hales and his 10-year-old son Blake.

“I’m here because it’s my son’s birthday and I wanted him to see LeBron and Bronny play together for the first time here in Cleveland,” Hales said. “LeBron and Bronny together on the same team is a great example of father-son collaboration. There is no greater joy.”

Branson Wright is a filmmaker and freelance multimedia sports reporter.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Burned buses, shoplifting and rowdy crowds occurred after the Dodgers won the World Series in Los Angeles

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Los Angeles, World Series, Los Angeles Dodgers, theGrio.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) – After the game, raucous crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles The Dodgers won the World Seriesby setting fire to a city bus, breaking into shops and setting off fireworks. On Thursday, the police announced several dozen arrests.

Video shows people throwing objects at LAPD, then sirens blaring and officers telling them to depart the area after beating the Dodgers Yankees IN Game 5 in New York.

An individual carries items from a looted Nike store after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Another video showed revelers standing on top of a bus waving a Dodgers banner, and people running out of a boarded-up Nike store with armfuls of sneakers before throwing merchandise into cars parked outside. No injuries were reported.

“As we celebrate this achievement tonight and in the days ahead, violence will not be tolerated,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a press release. The mayor said the Los Angeles Police Department will probably be on high alert all week to guard communities and businesses in the city, which has been the site of previous unrest following championship victories for each the Lakers and Dodgers.

Wednesday’s victory was followed by “unruly, at times violent and hostile celebrations” that included several acts of vandalism, including the burning of a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus, Los Angeles spokesman Officer Drake Madison said in an email. An email has been sent to move authorities requesting detailed information.

Madison reported the arrests were on suspicion of failure to disperse, receiving stolen property or business burglary. Madison added that there have been also several instances of downtown street takeovers, and police used less-lethal munitions to regulate several hostile and violent crowds. He added that in the coming days, investigators will attempt to discover those accountable for these crimes.

Dodgers they plan to commemorate their World Series championship There will probably be a parade downtown on Friday, followed by a celebration at Dodger Stadium. The team said Wednesday that attributable to logistics, traffic and scheduling, fans is not going to find a way to attend each events.

The parade was expected to feature members of the Dodgers traveling on double-decker buses through city streets, which might take 45 minutes.

Mayor Karen Bass scheduled a Thursday morning news conference to debate the logistics of the celebration.

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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