In The Case Of Vick, Fox News Commentator Seems To See A Black Man's Life Worth No More Than A Dog's Life

Tucker Carlson

We know that some right-wing commentators at Fox News have a clear disdain for President Barack Obama - a disdain that was illustrated most recently in the case of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who had a highly-publicized involvement in dog fighting. Recently, however, President Obama saluted the Eagles for giving Vick a second chance.

Obviously, there had to be at least one commentator at Fox News ready to take a shot at the president over this one.

This all leads me to a little excerpt I read from Dr. Boyce Watkins, who blogged about some very disturbing comments made by right-wing Fox News commentator (I know that is sort of redundant) Tucker Carlson regarding Vick, who has bounced back from his self-inflicted dog-fighting troubles, turned his life around and again is excelling on the football field (and presumably in life).

That's not good enough for some of the tighty righties at Fox News - like Tucker Carlson.

Here is a portion of what Watkins wrote in his blog regarding Carlson:

"I'm a Christian, I've made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances," Carlson said. "But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a heartless and cruel way. And I think, personally, he should've been executed for that. He wasn't, but the idea that the President of the United States would be getting behind someone who murdered dogs? Kind of beyond the pale."

First of all, I think that most decent Christians would not believe that Tucker Carlson is a Christian. But then again, most of the original members of the KKK also considered themselves to be Christians, so perhaps Carlson's delusional behavior actually makes sense. I'd be curious to see if Carlson believes that the hundreds of thousands of deer hunters and members of the National Rifle Association should also be executed for killing animals themselves. After all, killing an animal is the same no matter what, right?

Secondly, Carlson's insinuation that the life of this black man is worth less than that of a dog is a telling reminder of how the Right Wing is nothing more than a modern-day manifestation of those who've profited from slavery and the execution of black men for the past 400 years (they continue to profit from slavery within the prison system - the only place where the United States Constitution allows slavery to take place). If this were 1840, Tucker Carlson would surely be part of the lynch mob that would have dragged Michael Vick out of jail in the middle of the night and murdered him in front of his family.

Like Watkins, I too am deeply disturbed that Carlson seems to suggest that the lives of dogs are sort of an even swap for the life of a black man.

Much like Sarah Palin, Carlson can seemingly resist no opportunity to take a shot at President Obama.

This incident, and the implication of Carlson's words, are different. This man is acting as if, were he so empowered, would hold himself up as judge, jury and executioner of Michael Vick.

It's almost Jim Crow-era justice: A black man's life for a dog's life.

It shows a dark part of Tucker Carlson's heart that is chilling. What's more disturbing is that he has a powerful platform at Fox News where he seems to fit in so well.

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.

Detroit Free Press Columnist Drew Sharp Performs Terribly On The O’Reilly Factor

Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp was invited on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News show (to talk about Rush Limbaugh’s publicity-stunt bid to maybe take on an ownership role with the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams) and, after little more than a few minutes, it was pretty obvious why: Sharp was completely overmatched and woefully (and stunningly) underprepared for this debate with O’Reilly. As a native Detroiter, it pained me to see how pitiful Sharp performed against O’Reilly. It was like Drew was totally unprepared for O’Reilly to defend Limbaugh as aggressively as he did (duh) and it seemed Drew could barely muster a couple of examples (in an ocean of many) of Limbaugh’s racism and use of race to divide Americans.

Consider this from The O’Reilly Sucks Blog:

The next segment was about Rush Limbaugh possibly buying the St. Louis Rams, and O’Reilly wants to know why people have a problem with it. Earth to O’Reilly, maybe because Rush Limbaugh is a massive racist, and most of the NFL players are black. You have to be deaf dumb and blind not to know why people are opposed to Limbaugh buying the Rams. O’Reilly reported that the NFL players union is opposed to it, and he had sports writer Drew Sharp on to discuss it.

Sharp said Limbaugh is a partisan who a lot of people hate because of his statements and his racism, Billy said that’s your opinion. Then O’Reilly defended Limbaugh and said his research staff can not find any racist statements made by Rush Limbaugh. And that he has the best staff in the business so if they can not find it he never said it. Then Billy played the clip of what Limbaugh said about Donovan McNabb and said that is the only thing he could find about Limbaugh. Hey O’Reilly, what about the Barack the magic negro song, that’s racist pal. O’Reilly denied Limbaugh is a racist, and said there is no evidence of it, which is just ridiculous.

And this Drew Sharp was terrible, he had nothing, he should have had the racist quotes from Limbaugh. Billy said it was not fair to disqualify Limbaugh from buying the team just because he says provocative things, as he denied all the racist statements he has made. The one or two examples Sharp used were disputed by O’Reilly, and Drew had no comeback, so he was terrible. The man was totally unprepared, and O’Reilly dominated him.

It’s hard to argue with a lot of what Steve wrote in this blog. Drew looked just plain awful and it was painful to watch O’Reilly smash him without even so much as breaking a sweat.

It was like the free breadsticks you get at some restaurants before your main course comes.

It reminds me of the old days when pro wrestling was on TV and the one guy would be standing in the ring with no music, plain tights and a jacket from deep in his closet. His opponent, the star, comes out with a flowing robe, fancy tights, a manager, a hot-looking valet, music and beats the crap out of the scrub in like three minutes (just in time for a commercial).

Drew Sharp was there to make O’Reilly look good. And, wow, did he play his role out well.

As for racist statements from Limbaugh, if O’Reilly’s research team can’t find any then that speaks volumes about how incompetent and/or biased they are (or how ignorant they are to what the word “racist” means).

Sharp’s column:
http://www.freep.com/article/20091013/COL08/91013044/1089/Column-on-Limbaugh-sparks-tiff-with-Fox-s-O-Reilly

Steve McNair Dies

The death of former National Football League star quarterback Steve McNair, a former NFL Most Valuable Player, is another tragic reminder of how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away.

Right now, we still have more questions than we do answers.

It's a premature, tragic, puzzling and devastating end to a hard-working man's life. Watching how hard he worked to build his football career and to provide for his mother only further illustrates the magnitude of this loss.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Steve "Air" McNair ... a true football warrior taken from us far too soon.