The New Orleans Saints announced Jameis Winston as their new starting quarterback, succeeding future hall-of-famer Drew Brees and beating out Taysom Hill for the gig.
According to Fox Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb, Winston, who is Black, getting the nod over Hill, who is White, debunks forgone racist narratives in the NFL that are frequently pushed by the media.
“I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that racism doesn’t exist,” Gottlieb said on his radio show. “But the narrative of the NFL or the narrative you will hear from many people in my position, especially at the quarterback position, is STUCK in a forgone era.”
“You’re told by people in my position, that sports is somehow determined by your race. No it’s not,” Gottlieb stated. “It’s determined by your talent, your ability to lead, your sports aptitude, but more than anything – can you help me win games. And are you not gonna be in jail.”
Winston was accused of sexual assault in college, but it never went to trial. The quarterback was also involved in other negative off-field incidents, such as receiving a citation for stealing crab legs and being accused of groping an Uber driver in 2016.
Despite some questionable off-field incidents, Winston was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After getting replaced in Tampa by Tom Brady, Winston’s talent earned a second chance with the Saints and beat out a $140 million player
“So before you come at sports with your thoughts that Deshaun Watson was passed on by the Chicago Bears, because the Bears inherently had some underlying racism – just know that that’s not actually the way that football works,” Gottlieb said.
“That narrative that you’ve been told still exists in the NFL – the questions about the Black quarterback – that’s not how anybody actually thinks in sports.”
Listen above via Fox Sports Radio