The scene played out similarly to many others we’ve seen over time.

A black man detained by police for an apparently trivial crime was surrounded by several officers, forced to the bottom, a knee placed on his back, and handcuffed.

In some cases, the incident escalates to the purpose where the black man is choked, tasered or, God forbid, shot. And in even rarer cases, the black man is someone the general public has seen on their television screens countless times.

That was the case Sunday when Miami Dolphins guard Tyreek Hill was handcuffed, detained by Miami-Dade police, after which issued tickets for careless driving and never wearing a seat belt on his approach to the team’s game at Hard Rock Stadium. Body camera video The incident shows Hill was hostile toward the officer. He was asked to indicate identification and ordered to maintain his window down. He was later dragged from his automobile and thrown face-first into the roadway while 4 officers stood over him, one of whom put his knee into Hill’s back and handcuffed him.

Although Hill was released from custody with only two tickets, the incident once again highlights the issue of escalating police violence in America and the acute exposure to it that black drivers in particular are subject to.

When it involves race and policing, there’s a natural tendency in this country to stay your fingers in your ear and loudly scream “la la la la la.” “And it’s the same with white people. It’s the same with white people. What a terrible question,” said then-President Donald Trump said when asked by CBS in 2020 about police killings of black Americans.

When Hill spoke to reporters after Sunday’s game, he appeared to wish to avoid talking in regards to the role race played in his arrest.

“It’s tough. I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets a little shaky when you do it,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? God knows what those guys would have done.”

Hill added that his uncle at all times told him that when coping with police, “put your hands on the wheel and just listen.” Never mind that it’s part of a “conversation” many black parents have with their children about learn how to cope with racism in this country, including in relation to police. If Hill were white, his uncle likely would never have had that conversation with him. A 2021 Stanford University study found that after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis policeWhite parents were less prone to seek advice from their children about race (“Everyone is treated equally. The color of their skin doesn’t matter,” one parent responded).

There are countless examples across the country of police responding to uninhibited, trivial matters and escalating them into violence or death. Floyd was accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill before officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Philando Castile was pulled over by police in St. Anthony, Minnesota, for a broken taillight before he was fatally shot. Sandra Bland was pulled over for failing to make a lane change by a Texas police officer who eventually arrested her after he ordered her out of her automobile when she didn’t put out a cigarette. Bland was found hanging in her jail cell three days later. Police ruled her death a suicide.

Florida is not any different. In June 2020, a Miami-Dade police officer was caught on video punching a black woman in the face at Miami International Airport after the lady argued with airport staff. As for Hill’s case, a 2014 study conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union found that black drivers in Florida were stopped and ticketed for not wearing seat belts at almost twice the speed of white drivers.

These types of pretextual stops, where officers pull over drivers for minor infractions in hopes of finding a more serious crime, typically involve black drivers. test found that black and Latino drivers were more likely than white drivers to be stopped and searched by police. As the cases of Castile and Bland show, there’s a risk that those stops can end in deadly encounters.

“It needs to be addressed,” Dolphins defensive end Jevon Holland said after Sunday’s game. “Excessive force against a black male is not uncommon. It’s a very common thing in America. It needs to be addressed on a national level.”

And part of the issue in the case of race and policing is the responsibility of those tasked with protecting the American people. There’s no denying that police have a difficult job, but like everyone else in this country, they shouldn’t be immune from criticism or consequences. Police could be protected by qualified immunity, which shields them from lawsuits, and a few departments have fought to maintain records of police misconduct from the general public.

Not to say that the police lie lots. The original statement released by the Minneapolis Police Department said Floyd was affected by “medical issues” before his death, omitting any mention of Chauvin kneeling on his neck. Despite video evidence that apparently showed Hill compliant and never resisting being handcuffed, the union representing Miami-Dade cops issued an announcement Monday saying that “at no point was (Hill) arrested,” that Hill “did not immediately cooperate,” and that Hill was “taken to the ground” after refusing to take a seat down. It made no mention of the knee being placed in his back.

Although the Miami-Dade Police Department has temporarily placed one of its officers on administrative duties, Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, he said on a neighborhood radio program that “If Mr. Hill had just complied, it would have just sped up the whole process. He didn’t, he decided to escalate the situation and turn it into something bigger than just a Dolphins victory.”

The key word here is “escalate.” Hill ignored the officers, telling them to rush up, give him a ticket, and stop knocking on his window. He has a checkered record, including a July 2023 citation from Miami-Dade police for punching a marina worker in South Florida. But history has shown that police aren’t at all times the perfect at de-escalating situations, especially when Black individuals are involved. Hill’s teammate, Calais Campbell, the NFL’s 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner, was handcuffed for pulling over to support Hill on the side of the road. (Campbell said Monday morning that he witnessed officers kicking Hill.)

Should Hill have been speeding? No. Should he have been wearing a seatbelt? Absolutely. But in a world where a Castile or Bland death could occur after being stopped by police, there isn’t any reason Hill’s situation must have escalated to being stopped and treated as a suspect in a violent crime. The proven fact that one of the officers was faraway from duty is an indication of how badly this all went down.

“That should tell you everything you need to know,” Hill said of the officer, who was placed on administrative duty. “I’m just happy that my teammates were there to support me in my situation, because I was feeling lonely. When they showed up, I realized we have a hell of a team this year, since they’re risking their lives. It was amazing.”

Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been charged with alleged welfare fraud in his home state of Mississippi. After Shannon Sharpe, who appeared on the FS1 show in 2023, reported the story, Favre filed a defamation lawsuit against the previous player.

Last October, a federal judge dismissed Favre’s motion. defamation lawsuit, stating that Sharpe’s comments about Favre’s involvement in the Mississippi welfare misappropriation case were constitutionally protected speech. In July, the NFL Hall of Fame inductee I asked federal appeals court to reinstate the lawsuit. On September 16, the federal appeals court refused to reinstate the lawsuit.

According to the ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the fifth Circuit rejected Favre’s request. The court ruled that Sharpe’s comments were constitutionally protected opinions based on publicly known facts.

“His statements should be taken as strong opinions on the much-publicized welfare scandal,” Judge Leslie Southwick wrote for the unanimous three-judge appellate panel.

She said the alleged inaccuracies were corrected throughout the show by Skip Bayless, who stated that Favre had not been charged with against the law and had returned the initial $1.1 million he had been paid. Southwick also mentioned that Sharpe clarified throughout the episode that Favre had said he didn’t know the source of the funds.

“At the time Sharpe made these statements, the facts on which he relied were common knowledge, and Sharpe was entitled to view those common knowledge facts in a sarcastic and unfair manner,” Southwick wrote.

At the time, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White alleged that Favre had been improperly paid $1.1 million in speaking fees that were to be spent on the volleyball arena on the University of Southern Mississippi. The school is Favre’s alma mater, and his daughter played volleyball there. The money paid to Favre got here from a nonprofit that spent money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program with the approval of the state Department of Human Services.

Initially, Sharpe stated that Favre was “taking money from people who had no access to services,” that he was “stealing money from people who really needed it,” and that somebody would need to be a pathetic person “to steal from the lowest of the low.”

Earlier this summer, when the NFL released its 2024-25 schedule, the date that caught my eye was September 15: The Pittsburgh Steelers were traveling to Denver to play the Broncos. I immediately circled the date and made plans to attend. It could be Russell Wilson’s rematch.

After 10 seasons in Seattle, including two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl win, Wilson was moved to Denver. This was before Sean Payton became the Broncos’ head coach. Wilson and Payton were never on the same page, and Wilson was cut from the lineup with two games remaining in the season.

As it seems, Justin Fields — who was traded from Chicago to Pittsburgh in March — was ultimately expected to begin Sunday’s game against Denver. The Steelers announced Wilson would start this season, but a nagging calf injury catapulted the 25-year-old Fields into the starting lineup.

Fields is 2-0 as a starter, including Sunday’s 13-6 win over the Broncos.

When Fields addressed reporters after Sunday’s game, he mentioned that Wilson had been given a petty game ball. A petty game ball is something Tomlin presents when the Steelers beat a selected player’s previous team.

I believed Wilson was disrespected by the Broncos organization, and by Payton as well. Fields clearly felt the same way. After Sunday’s game in Denver, Fields shared his candid thoughts on what happened to Wilson in Denver. “I think we all know Russ was treated a little unfairly last year,” Fields said. “I know he knows he wants to play in today’s game, but it was awesome to get the win for him.”

Fields makes a robust case for remaining the Steelers starter whilst Wilson is poised to return. He has led Pittsburgh to wins over Atlanta and now Denver in his first two games of the season. But Fields looked as if it would suggest Sunday that he’s more concerned with respect for the elder Wilson, who has achieved a lot for black quarterbacks in the league.

Sunday was one other great day for Fields, who’s returning to form after three controversial years in Chicago, where he was essentially kicked off the team and moved to Pittsburgh to compete with Wilson for a starting spot.

Of all the landing spots listed for Fields, I believed Pittsburgh was the best fit. The Steelers are a solid organization. In Pittsburgh, the 25-year-old Fields wouldn’t only be under the tutelage of the 35-year-old Russell Wilson, but he would even have Mike Tomlin as his head coach. Wilson and Fields are at different stages of their careers and have different missions. Wilson was a Super Bowl winner and a Hall of Famer trying to end his profession on a high note. Fields is just attempting to do what Wilson has already done. In Pittsburgh, either quarterback could reclaim his profession: Wilson as the dignified elder statesman, and Fields as the talented young quarterback who simply needed a second likelihood.

Chicago has change into toxic to Fields, who has faced constant criticism — some of it deserved — because of the normal struggles of learning the game at this complicated position. He still must work on reading defenses and not holding on to the ball too long, but he’s fiddling with confidence.

Now Fields has a fresh start. This could also be one of the underrated points of the emergence of black quarterbacks: the all-important second likelihood, a fresh start in life.

There was a time in the evolution of black quarterbacks where there was barely a primary opportunity, let alone a second, to play the position. The beauty of what we see in the league now’s that there are so many various configurations of black quarterbacks. There are black quarterbacks competing with and supporting other black quarterbacks, and on any given Sunday there will probably be multiple games where two black quarterbacks will face one another.

The theme of recovery and second probabilities was highlighted in Green Bay on Sunday, where Malik Willis, a third-round pick in 2022 by the Tennessee Titans, stepped in and saved the day. Just 19 days after trading Willis, the Packers were forced to begin him in place of Jordan Love, who was injured in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Willis, like Fields, has not had an awesome run with the team that drafted him. In some ways, Willis’ profession has been defined by a disastrous start against the Kansas City Chiefs a couple of years ago, when he was clearly an underdog.

But on Sunday, Willis stepped into the role of quarterback and helped Green Bay to a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts, a team that has its own spectacular black quarterback (Anthony Richardson).

Willis wasn’t spectacular, but he made plays after they needed to be made and used his athleticism to get out of trouble and keep plays alive. Willis accomplished 12 of 14 passes, averaging 8.7 yards per attempt, threw a third-down pass and ran for 41 yards. He didn’t lose the ball or get sacked in the Packers’ win.

After the game, Packers head coach Matt LeFleur praised Willis in a way that black quarterbacks would never have received years ago.

“I don’t think you can appreciate or even comprehend the task that Malik Willis … that guy was given three weeks ago,” he said. “For him to go out there and run our offense — we still had a lot of long decisions, we had substitutions, we had moves, a lot of different running patterns. He had a lot on his plate. And for him to go out there and do what he did today, I think it says a lot about who he is as a person and the work he puts in. I’m just super proud of him.”

Willis will probably be relegated to the bench when Love returns, but he’s in the process of revitalizing his profession. Fields spent three tumultuous years in Chicago before the organization decided it had had enough and shipped him to Pittsburgh. Fields’ rise in Pittsburgh illustrates the depth of black quarterbacks and the existence of a second likelihood to flourish.

When I have a look at the conversations we had about black quarterbacks, I take into consideration the same conversations we had about black middle linebackers and free safeties. Those were the so-called thinker positions that African-Americans supposedly couldn’t play. Over time, there have been so many black linebackers and free safeties that it became ridiculous to count.

Here’s the state of affairs for black quarterbacks in the NFL: There’s depth and there are second probabilities. In Week 1, six black quarterbacks faced one another in five of the NFL’s biggest games: Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts vs. Love, Dak Prescott vs. Deshaun Watson.

This will probably be a trend that can proceed. Only one query stays: When will we stop counting?