Our Friends At Fox Try As They Might, But Can't Politicize High-School Player Who Prayed After TD And Was Flagged

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.

Michigan State Needs To Stop Whining About Michigan In Football

Every year, when University of Michigan and Michigan State University play in football, we have the usual trash talk. Clearly, that is part of any college football rivalry. The biggest rivalry for Michigan is, of course, the one with Ohio State. As part of that rivalry, there has been some historic trash talk that has taken on almost legendary status through the years.

This year, the U-M vs. MSU rivalry lacks a little bit of buzz. Michigan is undefeated while State has struggled with losses to Central Michigan University, University of Notre Dame and University of Wisconsin. The Wolverines are coming off a pitiful 2008 season (its first under Rich Rodriguez). Meanwhile, Michigan State has seen its program become more stable under head coach Mark Dantonio (frankly, there is no need to panic because of a few bumps in the road this fall).

Even last year, as Michigan State beat Michigan fair and square in Michigan Stadium, players, coaches and fans of the Spartans still persist on this working-class hero thing and trying to portray Michigan in a certain way (as arrogant, elitist ... which is silly since you know MSU fans, coaches and players thumb their nose at some schools ... like say, uh, CMU).

Anyway, this brings me to some comments in an article written by Shannon Shelton of the Detroit Free Press. Shannon compiled some quotes from some MSU players:

"This game is personal, and we need to win it," sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "And we better win it."

That was one of the milder comments. When players were asked how they felt about the U-M rivalry, they didn't hold back.

"Before the game last year, Coach D told us that if you haven't played Michigan, within 30 seconds you'll realize why we don't like them," defensive end Trevor Anderson said. "After about 15 seconds, I realized why I didn't like them. Just the total lack of respect that they have for our school in general. Not just the program, but the general lack of respect they have for us.

"As an athlete you go out there ... we're always taught as Spartans to respect our opponent. And just the lack of respect they have, period, is just sickening."

And from left tackle Rocco Cironi, an Ohio native, when asked if he grew up with a hatred for U-M: "Yeah, I think everybody has a hatred for Michigan."

I know, I know ... Dantonio and his Spartans are trying to fire up their base. I get it.

But ...

Dantonio has sparked this persistent bitter pettiness and it's frankly beneath him and the Michigan State program to constantly whine about Michigan. Dantonio needs to get control of himself and his players. Remember these are some of the same guys crying about former U-M running back Mike Hart's stupid comments a few years back. Michigan and Ohio State players, over the years, have said far worse to each other. But, both schools go out on the field and battle it out. Some of these whining MSU players need to let it go, grow up and be better on the football field. State did a good job of it last year, but this crying stuff has to go.

So far (or so it seems), Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez is trying to take the high road in this rivalry:

That doesn't mean a whole lot to second-year Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, however.

"The only one we're involved in (as a) staff was last year," Rodriguez said. "Players may say, yeah, we owe these guys and all that kind of stuff. They won the game fair and square last year. And we're going to try to win it this year. But I don't ever look back and say oh, this happened 20, 30, 40 years ago, it's really not relevant to this year. Every year is a new year."

A rivalry should be intense and trash talking is OK. Keep the trash talking and ditch the hypocritical crybaby stuff. I am pretty sure people in the Mid-American Conference perceive pretty much all teams in the Big Ten the way MSU seems to think it is perceived by Michigan. You think Michigan State fans see their loss to Central Michigan as no less embarrassing than their losses to Notre Dame or Wisconsin? Of course CMU is going to be looked down upon when compared to Notre Dame and Wisconsin (whether it's fair or unfair). So, if MSU players or U-M players cry about respect ... remember what student-athletes from the MAC think when they're looked down upon by Big Ten schools.

Blount Punishment By Oregon Hard To Argue, But …

When Oregon football player LeGarrette Blount chin-checked Boise State player Byron Hout (after Hout struck Blount to get his attention and then trash talked him a little following Thursday night’s game) I thought the suspension would be stiff. At first I thought … four or five games … some people I know talked me off the ledge and thought it might be a little less … two to three games. We were all wrong … VERY WRONG! The furor this mess created as the video was replayed over and over again on ESPN, other media outlets and YouTube probably did Blount no favors as Oregon elected to suspend him for the remainder of the season.

From ESPN:

EUGENE, Ore. — A day after Oregon’s college football season opened, it ended for running back LeGarrette Blount.

Blount was suspended for all remaining games on Friday for punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the jaw following the 16th-ranked Ducks’ 19-8 loss to the 14th-ranked Broncos the night before.

Because he is a senior, Blount’s playing days in Eugene are over.

Oregon’s first-year coach, Chip Kelly, told a sobbing Blount about his decision after reviewing tape of the altercation.

Celebrating the victory on the Broncos’ trademark blue turf, Hout yelled in Blount’s face and tapped him on the shoulder pad. Before Boise State coach Chris Petersen could pull Hout away, Blount landed a right to Hout’s jaw, knocking him to his knees.

I can’t argue with that suspension. Blount did it to himself by losing his cool due to the words of a trash-talking opponent.

Now, it appears Blount’s college football career might be a wrap.

I know it’s wildly popular for people to pile onto Blount and get their shots in on this young man. What he did was a horrible mistake in judgement and there is no question he needed to be punished for the punch and for the reaction as he was leaving the stadium. But, there are some other things I do wonder about: (1) What responsibility does Boise State or whomever have for reportedly replaying the video of the punch on the stadium scoreboard and firing up the crowd as the Oregon players were leaving the field and (2) will Hout receive any significant discipline for his role in starting the fracas on the field (not suggesting a suspension, but he needs to be held accountable for getting something like that started on a weekend when the American Football Coaches Association was emphasizing sportsmanship among teams).

Just a few additional thoughts to think about.