In this year’s NFL draft, out of the four quarterbacks selected in the top ten, two of them were Black. To my surprise, one of those teams that selected a Black QB was the Chicago Bears. Last year, I wrote an article titled: The Bears Discrimination towards Black Quarterbacks Underlines the Racism in the NFL
In it I highlighted how Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson stated that the Bears didn’t even interview him in the 2017 draft. This is the same draft that not only the Bears passed on Watson, but also Patrick Mahomes to move up and select Mitchell Trubisky. It’s funny how after four years of underwhelming play from Trubisky, the same Bears management moved up to select Justin Fields in this year’s draft.
I guess the Bears management didn’t wanted to play the fool a second time around. Or it could be that the criticism from that 2017 draft and the lackluster play of the team has led to many calling for head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace to lose their jobs. They say desperate people will do desperate things. That includes making an unexpected move to draft the first Black quarterback that I have seen to be the face of their franchise.
Never mind that Justin Fields sliding down to the number ten slot after many analysts projected him as the second-best quarterback in the draft had a hint of racism surrounding it. The bigger story is that the Bears selected him, which is a shocker. Don’t get me wrong, there is still progress that needs to be made towards equality at the QB position. The not-so-subtle narratives that tend to describe Black quarterbacks as athletic versus intelligent, less studious, and less dedicated than their White counterparts still exists.
Sports analysts Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith did a good job of pointing out how some of those narratives were ascribed to Fields and may have contributed to his slide in the draft. Those little small discriminatory jabs, along with the overt discrimination towards Blacks in the front office still lingers in the NFL. Despite those factors, drafting Justin Fields was a good thing for the Bears and the city of Chicago. And it would be unfair for me to criticize them for not drafting a Black QB and not acknowledge and salute them when they finally do get one. Even if the decision was made with them dangling from the balcony by their ankles, it was a good thing.
Let’s just hope that their desperation leads to more progress. Let’s also hope that Justin Fields’ production on and off the field leads to us having more success. All things considered; this will lead to more victories for the Bears, the city, and the NFL.