Is Stanford's Toby Gerhart The Victim Of Prejudice Against White Running Backs?

It's a theory that is picking up steam in recent days leading up to the 2010 National Football League Draft: Is Stanford running back Toby Gerhart the victim of racial prejudice against white tailbacks?

Here is something I read about Gerhart from Dexter Rogers of the African-American Sports Examiner:

One scout said of Gerhart, “He’ll be a great second-round pickup for somebody, but I guarantee you if he was the exact same guy – but he was black – he’d go in the first round for sure,” the scout said. “You could make a case that he’s a Steven Jackson-type – doesn’t have blazing speed but he’s strong and powerful and versatile.”

That is quite a powerful statement if you're one to believe in comments not attributed to a named source.

It has touched off a debate that has extended beyond the sports world and to Fox News which often champions the causes of conservatives (or those beloved by conservatives).

On Fox News, white rights activist Sean Hannity was working hard to advance the theory that there could be a racial bias against Gerhart, a physical and tough runner with an under appreciated level of athleticism and speed. Hannity hosted two black commentators, Stephen A. Smith and Spencer Tillman to talk about the issue (with the host's expected spin that whites were arguably being harmed).

Yes, Gerhart happens to be a white guy playing a position that most are just accustomed to seeing black players dominate.

More than a few people will compare Gerhart's situation to prejudice that many black quarterbacks experienced when conventional wisdom said that blacks were not smart enough to play QB (in high school, college or the pros).

Now, while I can see why that would be a natural comparison, I am not sure the similarities are as similar as a lot of people would like to think. The prejudice against black quarterbacks was a bit different as it was based exclusively on racist stereotypes (that extended well beyond the football field) that blacks were not smart enough to play the position.

Adder Rogers later in his column:

What Gerhart is facing is only slightly comparable to what African-American quarterbacks coming out of college have endured. Quarterbacks like Major Harris, Tony Rice and more recently Troy Smith have either been snubbed or drafted very low.

Again, I am not sure I totally agree, but I see how that argument can be made.

Most of the prejudice that some people perceive against Gerhart is based on the fact that we just don't see a lot of white running backs in major college football or in the NFL. One could argue that there is a prejudice against Gerhart not being perceived as being as athletic as the typical black running back.

Personally, I am a big fan of Gerhart and I was an advocate of him being a stronger candidate for the Heisman Trophy (even though I knew he wasn't going to win it due to a number of factors ... not the least of which is being from the West Coast).

A part of me hopes my beloved (albeit troubled) Detroit Lions can land him in the right spot. I think he has the potential to be a solid NFL running back.

I think, more so than race, Gerhart is the victim of not having the kind of "wow" factor that people look for from running backs. In running backs, people want to see a guy that can shake you out of your cleats, get past you and then pull away with breakaway speed and hurdle over the top of you.

Gerhart looks more like a solid football player who just doesn't have that "wow" factor (even though I think he is being undersold by a lot of people) that some want.

This is from a San Jose Mercury News blog

Gerhart’s fate this week depends not only on the answers but on who’s doing the answering.

The teams that believe Gerhart projects as an effective first-down runner might not need one. The teams that do might think Gerhart, who clocked a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, is too slow for the role.

“I’d be stunned if he made the first round, and that’s not an indictment of his ability,’’ said Rob Rang, analyst for NFLdraftscout.com.

“He’s very talented. But history shows us that first round running backs have to have explosive speed, and that’s not his game.’’

Yet Gerhart’s 40 time is faster than that of the 49ers’ Frank Gore, the Cardinal’s Beanie Wells and the Jets’ Shonn Greene, who combined to rush for 2,453 yards last season.

“I think speed is overrated,’’ said Trent Baalke, the 49ers’ director of player personnel.

“What’s their pad speed? That, to me, is important. You look at last year during the Seattle game, (Gore) had two long runs and nobody could catch him.’’

If the guy can play then he can play and he will ultimately prove his critics wrong.

It's not all about race in this case. Gerhart's draft stock is more complicated than race.