In a recent interview for HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Donovan McNabb said that black quarterbacks are criticized more than their white counterparts.
“Let me start by saying I love those guys (Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer),” McNabb said. “But they don’t get criticized as much as we do. They don’t. I pass for 300 yards. Our teams wins by seven. [They say,] ‘He could have made this throw. They would have scored if he did this.’
McNabb said black quarterbacks “have to do a little bit extra” because there are relatively few of them, adding “people didn’t want us to play this position.”
I think McNabb is a class act in general, but he’s being shortsighted. Every quarterback gets thoroughly criticized – it comes with playing the position. Before Manning won a Super Bowl last year, he was referred to as one of the biggest choke artists in sports. His brother Eli is often criticized for not being a leader. Chad Pennington doesn’t have an NFL-caliber arm. Joey Harrington isn’t tough enough. Brett Favre is inconsiderate to the Packers for being indecisive about retirement. J.P. Losman is an underachiever. Drew Brees is too small. Hell, Rex Grossman can’t even get up in the morning without being criticized for how he rolled out of bed.
I think due to the importance of the position, how much money they make and often their lofty draft status, quarterbacks are under the microscope more in general. I don’t think the mass majority criticizes quarterbacks by their race, but then again I haven’t walked in McNabb’s shoes.
