ESPN NFL contributor Booger McFarland was accused of racism this past week after a comment he made about black football players.
Specifically, McFarland suggested that some black players were more concerned with building a brand for themselves than actually working on being good at their craft.
“Often times young players, especially — I’m gonna go ahead — especially young African-American players, because they make up 70 percent of this league — they come into this league and ask themselves the wrong thing,” McFarland said.
“They come into the league saying not ‘how can I be a better player?’ They don’t say ‘how can I be a better teammate?’ They don’t say ‘how can I be a better person; how can get my organization over the hump?’
“Here’s what they come in saying. They come in saying ‘how can I build my brand better? How can I build my social media following better? How can I work out on Instagram and show everybody that I’m ready to go, but when I get to the game, I don’t perform?”
My message was to all players which I said but specifically to the part of the NFL that’s makes up almost 70% the AA players. And of course I’m not speaking to ALL but in my 20+ years around the NFL I’ve seen to many cases. I stand by what I said whether u agree or disagree pic.twitter.com/6buvIc7Tje
— Booger (@ESPNBooger) December 29, 2020
McFarland made his comments in response to the Washington Football Team waiving quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He drew parallels between Haskins and former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who was a star at LSU – much like Haskins was at Ohio State – before ultimately flaming out in the pros.
“Dwayne Haskins unfortunately is not the first case that I’ve seen like this,” McFarland continued. “And it won’t be the last. And it bothers me because a lot of it is the young African-American player. They come in and they don’t take this as a business. It is still a game to them. …
“I saw a quarterback do it. I saw JaMarcus Russell do it. The No. 1 pick in the draft, they gave him $40 million, and he threw it down the damn drain because he didn’t take it seriously.”
Naturally, some people did not take kindly to McFarland’s comments.
Booger on ESPN auditioning for Fox.
— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) December 29, 2020
Aaron Hernandez was a whole serial killer but winning games….while serially killing.
— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) December 29, 2020
I truly don’t get why he still has mic sometimes https://t.co/5gJqnbo4c5
— KAHLIL™ (@WavyKahlil) December 29, 2020
That said, some people appreciated the message.
Preach… not just professional sports but everyday professionals! Strive to be the best you can be and let all the clutter (distractions) roll off your back like water on a duck! Preach IT Booger. https://t.co/4PGvwHec99
— johnny pourciau (@jpourciau7) December 29, 2020
ESPN has been very sensitive about what sort of opinions its personalities espouse on topics of race and identity, so it will be interesting to see if McFarland ultimately faces any sort of punishment for his comments.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed something about Jamal Adams’ cigar. https://t.co/m7LCBQZfhT
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 28, 2020
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
