Perhaps you witnessed quarterback Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints yelling at teammates during the team’s defeat over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. You might not have noticed the greater significance of what he did. Something more significant than a single player yelling.
Carr openly voiced his displeasure with teammates, yelling at Chris Olave for taking the incorrect way. Nevertheless, Carr’s actions were dubious at best.
“I’ve been showing my emotion a little bit too much on my sleeve,” Carr stated. “You know, that’s how I hold myself accountable—I kind of have to kind of chill out.” Since that won’t do anything. Thus, attempting to be a soothing presence during certain times, particularly when That increased frustration has happened a few times already. As a leader, I can calm people down more effectively than anyone else.”
Carr continued: “There were some things that happened today that led to some pretty big negative plays that should never happen, and I think that’s where my frustration was coming from.”
It is important to note how uncommon it is for quarterbacks to behave and speak in this manner. Even when it’s not their fault, most quarterbacks take the fall for it. Players for the Saints don’t openly criticize Carr after he mishandles a pass into the mud. This frequently occurs.
Carr has criticized people in public before, not just now. During a sideline outburst in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans on October 15, he raged at his offensive coordinator, Pete Carmichael. Carr claimed he was sorry to Carmichael for the outburst, which he claims wasn’t addressed at Carmichael but was obviously focused at him, and that his ire on Thursday wasn’t meant for Olave, which it was obviously directed at.
Like everyone else, football players will get angry. Colleagues will yell at one another. It takes place. But even in that environment, what Carr is doing seems excessive.
Carr is not the first to publicly criticize others. He became enraged at his offensive coordinator, Pete Carmichael, after a sideline outburst in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ 20-13 loss against the Houston Texans on October 15. Carr apologized to Carmichael for the outburst, saying it wasn’t directed at him specifically but rather about Carmichael, and that he wasn’t angry with Olave on Thursday, since it was clearly directed at him.
Football players will get irritated, just like everyone else. Coworkers will shout at each other. It happens. However, what Carr is doing seems disproportionate even in that setting.
However, not many people—especially in the media—publicly characterize Carr as a jerk or selfish in spite of all of that. On the NFL Network, he was portrayed as a competitor who merely wants to improve everyone. Nor has his petty conduct earned him the reputation as a lousy teammate. There was no deep analysis of his behavior in the realm of sports discourse. Most of his indiscretions go unnoticed.
You know why, do you not?
This is how white players can behave with few consequences. By now, a Black Derek Carr would have been destroyed (my next fantasy squad will be named after Black Derek Carr). If Black quarterbacks behaved as regularly as Carr does, Fox News would air pieces titled “Where Are The Black Fathers?” The same may be said, in some ways, about Black coaches. If they yelled at players the way Nick Saban, the coach of Alabama, did, they would be destroyed.
Black athletes must possess perfectionism. A disposition that isn’t flawless is seen as harmful. This unfair treatment of people occurs both on and off the pitch. LeBron James reportedly described a hypothetical situation in which he went out to dinner with his family and was cut short by someone requesting a photo, as opposed to if Tom Brady had been there and the same thing had happened.
“If it’s Aaron Rodgers, if it’s Tom Brady, and if it’s Peyton Manning. James remarked, “And we’re doing the exact same (expletive) that we always do.” “The phone I’m referring to is out. Hey, get that (expletive) phone out of my face, we say. I’m here with my folks.
“If we’re out with our family and we say that (expletive) and somebody posts it, and if Aaron Rodgers or one of those guys say that (expletive) and they post it, somebody’s going to be like, ‘Hey, you guys should respect Aaron Rodgers.'”
Some of you will be offended by this piece, but what else is new? However, what I’m stating is true as well. You are aware of this.
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Avoid making confusion. Not that Black athletes and coaches never holler. Alternatively, never get away with acting like a putz. That isn’t the main idea. This focuses more on how different people view what Black coaches and players do when they do what Carr does.
There is no way a Black quarterback could behave in such a way without facing severe criticism from the media. While Carr has received some of it, it is not nearly as much as, say, Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Ravens, who publicly and persistently disparaged his teammates. While Carr is referred to as a competitor, Jackson is thought of as a selfish and unreliable teammate. We’ve observed similar instances in the past, so I know this to be accurate.
Because of his disagreements with teammates, Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens was frequently referred to in the media as a cancer. While Owens was undoubtedly a troublemaker off the field, he was also one of the hardest workers of his day. However, the statement “There has never been a more selfish player in the history of the NFL than Terrell Owens” was once published about him. I’m not quite sure how to quantify anything like that.
Chad Johnson, a former NFL receiver, received the same therapy. Odell Beckham also did so. Over the years, so have other athletes of color including Black athletes. A list of the top 10 most self-centered athletes was once published by Bleacher Report. You’ll observe a trend in the most self-centered athletes. You’ll see that the list follows a pattern. As soon as you see the bell, ring it.
When Peyton Manning faulted his offensive line in a generally amicable assessment, it was one of the few high-profile instances in which you saw a non-white athlete receive some criticism for placing the responsibility on teammates or coaches. Additionally, Manning and Jeff Saturday had a notorious yelling match at one point. For Manning, none of that ever stayed.
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