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Will the negative and racist narratives change given the rise in social movements putting light to inequalities in society?

Will black quarterbacks continue to be so prevalent that they will become the standard and force the media to change or get left behind?

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At the 8:26 mark of the video you can see a clip from 1987 and 88 with an NFL commentator and MLB Executive talking about  black players

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Some history on the rise of the black quarterbacks

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Game Changer

Doug Williams becomes the first black passer to win both a Super Bowl and the game's MVP award while leading Washington's NFL franchise to a rout of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Said Williams years later: " After that day, a whole lot changed. "

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Doug Williams becomes the first black passer to win both a Super Bowl and the game's MVP award while leading Washington's NFL franchise to a rout of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Said Williams years later: " After that day, a whole lot changed. "

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Washington Post study where they uncover how black quarterbacks are written about in a much more barbaric and inferior manner to their white counterparts

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Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson runs against Wake Forest during the second half of a Nov. 19, 2016, game in Winston-Salem, N.C. (Chuck Burton/AP)

The 2017 NFL draft begins tonight, and teams have been working hard to accurately estimate the value of draft prospects. The consequences can be especially dramatic for those teams considering a quarterback. In 1998, for example, the question was: Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? It's hard to believe it now, but that was a tough decision.

This year's decision involves Deshaun Watson and Mitch Trubisky, a comparison that evokes the complicated history of race and NFL quarterbacks. This includes a history of black quarterbacks being more likely to be asked to switch positions, being paid lower salaries than equally valuable white quarterbacks and being subjected to double standards.

Watson addressed this last year, arguing against being labeled a dual-threat, a quarterback that could run and throw. "That's a code word. ... People think, 'Oh, he's a black quarterback, he must be a dual-threat.'"

Our research suggests Watson's concerns are well-founded.

We studied official NFL draft profiles and found substantial racial differences in the language used to describe quarterback prospects - differences that are consistent with established racial stereotypes. Perhaps most importantly, racialized language actually helps predict draft outcomes.

Racial stereotypes are common in draft reports about quarterback prospects

We analyzed the text of draft profiles hosted on the NFL's website for all quarterbacks who participated in the NFL combine between 2008 and 2016. This constituted a total of 175 reports for 43 minority and 132 white prospects.

To identify racially differentiated language in this text, we used a statistical model of language that was originally developed to identify differences in how Republicans and Democrats discuss issues in Congress.

The results of this analysis are striking. Draft profiles discuss black and white quarterbacks using very different language. This language evokes the racial stereotypes noted in previous social science scholarship.

A white quarterback prospect is more likely to be discussed in terms of intangible internal qualities for which he himself is responsible. He is smart, displays intelligence, and understands the game. He is a leader with command of the huddle. He is consistent, calm, and poised. He is credited for his production. He is good or even outstanding. He appears to fit the prototype.

In contrast, a minority quarterback prospect is more likely to be discussed in terms of physical characteristics, to be judged erratic and unpredictable, and to have his successes and failures ascribed to outside forces. We learn about his hands, his weight, his frame, his body, parts of which are often either big or lean. He bolts prematurely, rather than stand in the pocket, or perhaps he hesitates before throwing dangerous passes. Less of a leader, he is asked to do things or given opportunities. His game has deficits. His footwork's a mess. He has issues.

There's no objective basis for these language differences

While physical words like big and weight are more prevalent in reports about minority prospects, one might object that perhaps minority quarterbacks just weigh more, or less, than white quarterbacks.

Because these prospects participated in the NFL combine, we have measures of things like their actual weight and height. But we found that a prospect's actual weight did not predict whether his weight was mentioned.

But race is a different story. For example, we estimate that for a white prospect at the average weight of 223 pounds, there is a 6 percent chance that his report will use the word "weight." For a minority prospect weighing 223 pounds, the chance is much higher: 27 percent.

Minority prospects, it would seem, are being evaluated by different criteria than white prospects are.

This matters for when players are drafted

Given the millions of dollars at stake, it could be that these are "just words" and don't reflect any actual differences how teams evaluate quarterback prospects. But it appears that these words do matter.

The presence of racialized language in reports helps predict prospects' draft position, even after accounting for how prospects performed in college performance and at the combine. For example, when words like issues are included in a minority prospect's report, that prospect is predicted to be drafted about half a round later than otherwise.

In the unusual cases that reports include language that contradicts existing stereotypes, a prospect's predicted draft position can drastically change. For example, when words related to intelligence or leadership are used in a minority prospect's report, that prospect is predicted to be drafted roughly a full round earlier than otherwise.

So what about DeShaun Watson? His NFL draft profile describes him, yes, as a "dual-threat weapon," as well as a "tremendous athlete" with "big, strong hands," who was "baited into bad-decision interceptions." On the other hand, it also describes him as a "tremendous leader and winner."

It may come as further consolation that Trubisky's profile starts by noting he, too, is a "dual-threat."

Christopher Boylan is a PhD student in political science at Pennsylvania State University. Ryan McMahon is a PhD student in political science and social data analytics at Pennsylvania State University. Burt L. Monroe (@burtmonroe) is a professor of political science and head of the program in social data analytics at Pennsylvania State University.

Today's Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.

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Analysis | NFL draft profiles are full of racial stereotypes. And that matters for when quarterbacks get drafted.

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The 2017 NFL draft begins tonight, and teams have been working hard to accurately estimate the value of draft prospects. The consequences can be especially dramatic for those teams considering a quarterback. In 1998, for example, the question was: Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? It's hard to believe it now, but that was a tough decision.

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A study done where I would like to highlight info on black qbs in high school changing positions in college

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Think of the first time you saw a role model who reminded you of yourself, one who made you realize someone like you could become someone like them. When the people with power also look like you, it's easier to see yourself in their shoes one day.

That's not the case in college football, where black men are nearly half of Division I's football players, but only 14 are head coaches in the FBS - about 11%. Few black college football players look to their head coaches and see similar faces looking back.

That much is obvious, looking at the sidelines on any given Saturday. But when you dig into the sport's hierarchy, you find that a white player's pipeline to becoming a head coach is different than the one for players who aren't white. There are systemic barriers to entry.

We can't analyze diversity at the head coaching level unless we also analyze the steps throughout one of the most common paths toward a head coaching career, which begins when potential coaches are still players.

The fixes to the issue are complex, but what's clear, according to research and people inside the coaching industry, is the way things build upon one another.

Level 1: Black players have historically been steered away from positions that are direct lines to high-profile assistant coaching jobs.

It's called racial stacking, when minority groups are disproportionately relegated to lesser roles. The most visible example is black quarterbacks being moved to less-central positions. Research goes back to the 1960s, typically on pro sports. Two researchers, Daniel Yost and Joshua Pitts, sought data including college players.

Eitzen and Sanford (1975) investigated the high school, collegiate, and professional positions of 387 professional football players. Of their sample, African Americans comprised 33.8 percent of those players in the quarterback position (central position) at the high school level. In moving to the college ranks, that number dropped significantly to 8.7 percent. Additionally, African Americans comprised 49.2 percent of those players in the running back position (peripheral position) at the high school level. In moving to college, a marked increase was noted at 69.9 percent.

Their 2013 study used 2008 and 2009 Rivals.com data on 1,006 high school football players who did not play multiple positions and went on to power-conference college teams.

Of black players who played QB in high school, 62% changed positions in college, per the study. Some moves are in the best interest of players, but only 16% of white QBs changed positions. Researchers found 22% of all players switched positions.

The study found that, after controlling for certain factors, black quarterbacks were 38.5% more likely than white quarterbacks to change positions.

"It's something unobservable that's driving that result," Pitts, an assistant professor of sport management and economics at Kennesaw State University, said. "I bet we wouldn't find that 38% [if the study repeated a decade later]. Maybe we would, but I guarantee we'd still find a significant result in that black quarterbacks have a tendency to be pushed out of that position."

Going back one more step, many young white QBs have private tutors and QB camps, which black families are less likely to be able to afford.

"The closer you are to the ball, the smarter you have to be," goes the old adage. So when black men don't play center at the same rate as their white counterparts, what does that say to young black linemen?

[Sociologist Harry] Edwards argued that the centrality theme was less about simple spatial location than it was about the degree of control and leadership associated with a position. Consequently, pitchers and catchers or quarterbacks and centers are not only in the center of coordinating game activities, but they exert greater control over what happens in terms of action and outcome. Coupled with stereotypical beliefs about race related cognitive and physical capabilities, the idea that whites are more suitable for positions requiring greater thinking and decision making, and blacks are better adapted for positions requiring greater physical prowess is a short leap.

Even if a black player makes it to the NFL as a center, a position switch still isn't out of the question. In a 2002 ESPN story, which argued the color barrier was disappearing, Hall of Fame tackle Roosevelt Brown described the 1950s and 1960s.

"If you were a [black] center who came to the NFL, more often than not, you ended up playing linebacker or something like that," Brown said. "The [prejudice] was just as bad as the one that existed at quarterback."

In the NFL, the other offensive line positions are essentially half black and half white. But while the league was 67% black in 2010, only 9% of its centers were. That was down from 17% in 1998.

Of the 70 players on the college center trophy's 2017 preseason watch list, the overwhelming majority are white.

Self-segregation by athletes can perpetuate disparities. If a white kid sees mostly white quarterbacks, is he more likely to emulate QBs? Is a black kid more likely to do the same with running backs and defensive backs?

"I think more research needs to be done on self-segregation," Pitts said. "If players are self-segregating themselves, why are they still doing that? If they are - I'm not certain that they are - but if they are, why? Because there's been a number of black quarterbacks now that have had great success."

Level 2: It's not often that you find a QB or OL coach who didn't play QB or OL.

Our review of all 65 Power 5 coaching staffs (as well as Notre Dame) showed that only three employed black men as quarterback coaches or passing game coordinators. Of the three, Illinois' Garrick McGee and Michigan's Pep Hamilton played the position in college.

We found there are only three black offensive line coaches in the Power 5. Two, Florida's Brad Davis and Texas Tech's Brandon Jones, played center in college. Duke's Marcus Johnson spent most of his career at guard.

How can more black men become QB coaches if so many were moved from QB to WR or DB in college? The same goes for OL coaches and the center position.

Taking time to show a coach how to tutor QBs isn't always practical. But it happened for ECU head coach Scottie Montgomery, a former wide receiver.

"It's not as hard as you might think it is," Montgomery, who coached WRs during David Cutcliffe's first two years at Duke, said. "But you have to be diligent first. I think there's a certain level of intelligence that you have to have to coach that position, as well as any other position on the field. But you also have to leave your ego at home."

Montgomery returned to Duke after a stint with the Steelers, to coordinate the passing game. Cutcliffe, a noted QB tutor who also did not play the position in college, mentored Montgomery and promoted him to offensive coordinator/QB coach.

Across all positions, about 26% of assistants are black. That's better than the situations at QB and OL coach, but still only about half the percentage of black players.

And not all jobs on a staff are judged equally. Some assistants are tagged as recruiters. They're valued for their ability to develop rapport with teenage boys, typically ones who are black.

There are position groups where you can hide recruiting-centric coaches. Running back is often one. While recruiting is vital to program-building and a niche to build a career upon, the "recruiter" tag can keep a coach rooted below the coordinator level.

And almost any assistant who wants to become a head coach must first become a coordinator.

Level 3: If you can't work with QBs, it's harder to become an OC.

In Montgomery's coordinator interviews, he noticed a trend. Head coaches, including Montgomery himself, want their QBs and play callers telepathically linked.

"There is a bias [toward QB coaches], because I think that you need to be looking through [the QB's] eyes calling a game, and I think that you have to be looking in his eyes to coach him in the game," Montgomery said. "So I never want a coordinator to be coaching receivers and come over and tell my quarterback, 'Hey my receiver was wide open.' No, no, no, no, no, that's not the way it works."

This might not bar black applicants from coordinator positions, but it sure doesn't help those who didn't play QB. The Power 5 has only 13 black offensive coordinators, making black OCs less than half as frequent as black players.

"The seeds have been sewn over a number of decades, going way back before football was even a sport," Pitts said. "Even if this white head coach today doesn't have any explicit racial prejudice, perhaps the decisions he's making today are influenced by ages and ages of explicit racial prejudice."

If black men get fewer chances to play QB and thus rarely get to coach QBs, they aren't building the expertise to be OCs.

Level 4: Coordinator experience is almost required to become a head coach.

Of the 128 non-interim head coaches in FBS, only 14 had no previous coordinator experience.

Of the 43 FBS head coaches who played quarterback (the most common former position among head coaches), 39 previously worked as both OCs and QB coaches.

Therefore, the most common path to becoming a major college head coach is shut off to a large percentage of black men in football, partly because of the positions they played in college.

Among FBS head coaches, 26 played defensive back and 18 played wide receiver. Those groups heavily feature black players, but only seven of 14 black head coaches come from those two groups.

Black players can still become head coaches, even if they played non-central positions.

For one thing, there will always be head coaches who didn't play quarterback or center. Six of FBS' black head coaches played defense.

For another, many head coaches believe in greatly expanding the skills of their assistants. Montgomery says he can train a coach to run any position unit.

"We [in the coaching profession] push 'em to graduate," Montgomery said. "We don't [often enough] push 'em to graduate with a 3.0, so they can actually get into grad school, so I can have them as a graduate assistant. That is gonna be a direct line to a position coaching job, which will push them to a coordinator job, which will push them to a head coaching job.

"I was a receiver that was coached to coach quarterbacks. Just let me get my hands on him in the graduate assistant role, and then he can choose what he wants to do, and then we can progress him by interviews, by training, by one-on-one work with the student-athletes, by things that you could never imagine that would progress him in the coaching world."

But at the institutional level, the fixes are more complex.

College football does not have a version of the NFL's Rooney Rule, which mandates a team must interview at least one minority candidate for a vacant head coaching or senior executive role. Teams run the risk of a monetary penalty if they don't comply.

College football's progress toward a version has amounted to buzzwords and a toothless petition.

In September 2016, the NCAA asked its members to sign a non-binding pledge "to specifically commit to establishing initiatives for achieving ethnic and racial diversity, gender equity and inclusion with a focus and emphasis on hiring practices in intercollegiate athletics to reflect the diversity of our membership and our nation."

While many athletic directors signed, some said they had not seen it, one blamed a glitch, and Notre Dame and Boston College said the pledge didn't go far enough.

A college Rooney Rule would require affecting the hiring practices of state universities, in addition to wrangling private schools. Oregon is the only state with a Rooney Rule for its public athletic departments.

Even when black men ascend to the highest positions, prejudices remain.

Before Charlie Strong had coached a game at Texas, one of the school's most influential boosters called the hiring a "kick in the face."

"I think the whole thing is a bit sideways," [billionaire car dealer Red] McCombs said of the selection process during an interview with ESPN 1250 San Antonio. "I don't have any doubt that Charlie is a fine coach. I think he would make a great position coach, maybe a coordinator.

"But I don't believe [he belongs at] what should be one of the three most powerful university programs in the world right now at UT-Austin. I don't think it adds up."

Strong later made mistakes, like not kowtowing to Texas' high school coaches and never getting both sides of the ball working at once. But arguments about Strong's qualifications had followed him for years, despite him coordinating two national championship defenses and piloting Louisville to a BCS bowl victory.

Strong has acknowledged the popular notion that he was passed over for jobs because his wife is white. ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported years ago that two SEC coaches said Turner Gill's interracial marriage meant Gill was never a valid option for Auburn.

Although Montgomery and Strong followed black head coaches at their current roles, that's the exception. A 2015 study by FootballScoop.com found that, dating back to 2000, 29 black FBS coaches have changed jobs, and only five had black successors. Strong became the sixth, when he replaced Willie Taggart at USF.

Strong has spoken of the pressure caused by the idea that an individual represents an entire race.

"When I decided to take this job, I can't tell you the number of coaches that called and said, oh my God, are you kidding me? You got it!" Strong said. "Because they know - everyone across the country sees it now, too. It's not one of those where they're not watching. They're all watching."

Montgomery, when asked if he'd ever had a black head coach during his playing career, said he hadn't.

"That will change," he said about the future of coaching. "That will change. Not quick enough, but that will change."

Sign up for the newsletter The Read Option

A daily-ish mini-column on the college football thing of the day, with some other stuff too.

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Football's lack of black head coaches is the result of a flawed pipeline

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Think of the first time you saw a role model who reminded you of yourself, one who made you realize someone like you could become someone like them. When the people with power also look like you, it's easier to see yourself in their shoes one day.

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Pre-draft article on Cam Newton getting trashed by a writer he's never met before

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Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon re-entered the pre-draft dialogue surrounding Cam Newton this week, expressing frustration and outrage over the "racially based" treatment he claims the Auburn quarterback has received.

The furor started Tuesday, when Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki issued a sharp critique of Newton's character, labeling the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback as "selfish" and "fake."

Forget the scouting reports. Albert Breer writes that momentum seems to be building in the direction of Cam Newton becoming the top overall draft pick by the Panthers.More ...

Moon, who was an unpaid advisor to Newton before February's NFL Scouting Combine and has kept in touch with him via phone and text messages, stood by his belief during a telephone interview Friday that Newton has been mis-characterized. Moon believes Newton is being unfairly criticized by people who have never met him while NFL teams evaluate the quarterback before the April 28-30 draft.

"I'd rather not go into any specific sources, but anybody that questions what was written can go back and do the homework. Close the door and talk to people. But it all comes down to trust -- trusting relationships. And I think you'll find the view of people that know the kid and have been around him, they'll tell you that everything in that report is very accurate."

Moon, who said he experienced his share of racially charged criticism when he came out of the University of Washington in 1978, told CBSSports.com on Wednesday that "a lot of the criticism (Newton) is receiving is unfortunate and racially based."

"If you look at the history of our work, I think you'll see that we treat every player the same," he said. "The best evaluators are color blind in their assessments. I think we treat it the same way.

"Look back at J.P. Losman's report. ... Look back at Jimmy Clausen. We treat them all the same. If they have issues there, if they like to party, if they can't command the respect in the locker room, we're going to call it like it we see it. It's as simple as that."

Like Newton, Tim Tebow -- the quarterback of the moment entering last year's draft -- endured questions about transitioning from a spread offense to a pro-style attack. But Moon believes Newton has received criticism while other spread quarterbacks -- namely, white quarterbacks such as Tebow -- aren't subject to the same depth of scrutiny.

"The thing that makes me laugh is the question of, can he (Newton) come out of the spread offense? Can he run a pro offense?," Moon told CBSSports.com. " Colt McCoy came out of the spread offense, and very few people raised that issue about him. So did Sam Bradford. Same thing. Very few questions asking if Bradford could run a pro offense. Some of these questions about Cam are more about his intellect. It's blatant racism, some of it."

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

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Moon refutes scouting report on Newton; writer stands by it

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Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon re-entered the pre-draft dialogue surrounding Cam Newton this week, expressing frustration and outrage over the "racially based" treatment he claims the Auburn quarterback has received. The furor started Tuesday, when Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki issued a sharp critique of Newton's character, labeling the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback as "selfish" and "fake."

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It always appears that certain QBs are labeled as lazy or lacking a great work ethic while others are lauded for their IQ & mental capacities. It would be nice if we wouldn’t routinely affix stereotypes to ONLY Black QBs. Non-Black QBs NEVER get these labels on TV. Weird, right? https://t.co/CZ7exbvjAc

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It always appears that certain QBs are labeled as lazy or lacking a great work ethic while others are lauded for their IQ & mental capacities. It would be nice if we wouldn’t routinely affix stereotypes to ONLY Black QBs. Non-Black QBs NEVER get these labels on TV. Weird, right? https://t.co/CZ7exbvjAc

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Dan Orlovsky on the @PatMcAfeeShow show today had some interesting quotes that he’s getting from guys in the know.

“Last guy in, first guy out.”

“I’ve heard there are some questions with Justin Fields’ work ethic.”

“Where is his desire to be a great quarterback?”

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It always appears that certain QBs are labeled as lazy or lacking a great work ethic while others are lauded for their IQ & mental capacities. It would be nice if we wouldn’t routinely affix stereotypes to ONLY Black QBs. Non-Black QBs NEVER get these labels on TV. Weird, right? https://t.co/CZ7exbvjAc
— Bucky Brooks (@BuckyBrooks) March 31, 2021

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It always appears that certain QBs are labeled as lazy or lacking a great work ethic while others are lauded for their IQ & mental capacities. It would be nice if we wouldn’t routinely affix stereotypes to ONLY Black QBs. Non-Black QBs NEVER get these labels on TV. Weird, right? https://t.co/CZ7exbvjAc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].text
Dan Orlovsky on the @PatMcAfeeShow show today had some interesting quotes that he’s getting from guys in the know.

“Last guy in, first guy out.”

“I’ve heard there are some questions with Justin Fields’ work ethic.”

“Where is his desire to be a great quarterback?”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
It always appears that certain QBs are labeled as lazy or lacking a great work ethic while others are lauded for their IQ & mental capacities. It would be nice if we wouldn’t routinely affix stereotypes to ONLY Black QBs. Non-Black QBs NEVER get these labels on TV. Weird, right? https://t.co/CZ7exbvjAc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
It always appears that certain QBs are labeled as lazy or lacking a great work ethic while others are lauded for their IQ & mental capacities. It would be nice if we wouldn’t routinely affix stereotypes to ONLY Black QBs. Non-Black QBs NEVER get these labels on TV. Weird, right? https://t.co/CZ7exbvjAc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
Dan Orlovsky on the @PatMcAfeeShow show today had some interesting quotes that he’s getting from guys in the know.

“Last guy in, first guy out.”

“I’ve heard there are some questions with Justin Fields’ work ethic.”

“Where is his desire to be a great quarterback?”

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Apologies couldn't figure out how to talk over each slide so here is a rushed overview