Earl Campbell: “Until the University of Texas realizes you have to have a black quarterback, and nothing against Ehlinger, you got to have a talented, black quarterback. All these schools that are winning, even in the pros, have black quarterbacks. When guys are not open, something can still happen.”
Former superstar running back Earl Campbell found himself in the news Thursday in the most peculiar way after making bizarre comments concerning the teetering Texas Longhorns season that has been one of the most disappointing in college football.
The former Longhorn who won the Heisman Trophy in 1977, was speaking with college football reporter Kirk Bohls of the Austin-American-Statesman about what he would do to ‘fix’ the 5-3 team.
Campbell then unexpectedly went on a tangent about how Texas desperately needs a black quarterback, saying ‘nothing against Sam Ehlinger, but you gotta have a talented, black quarterback.”
Campbell then went on to say ‘All these schools that are winning, even in the pros, have black quarterbacks. When guys are not open, something can still happen’.
Campbell then brought up Tua Tagovailoa (who is actually Samoan), Vince Young, Jalen Hurts, Deshaun Watson, and J.T. Barrett as black quarterbacks who recently won National Championships.
The comments were quite shocking, not only because of Campbell’s casual openness to degrade Ehlinger's ability based on his race, but the simple fact that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence literally just won the National Championship at Clemson, and Tom Brady and Jared Goff just met in the Super Bowl.
Campbell's cordialness to deduct that black quarterbacks are naturally more athletic than white quarterbacks echoed many of the damaging stereotypes around Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was asked by some NFL teams to try out as a wide receiver at the combine, and a player who many around the sport believe is simply an all-world 'athlete' with limited talents throwing the ball.
Campbell’s comments were met with much derision, with fans and pundits appalled that a former player would openly resort to such flagrant discrimination in a conversation strictly about football.
Check out the audio below of Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis explaining why Campbell’s oblivious comments are a classic case of chronic double-standards that plague society, saying if the races were switched and a former white player said 'you gotta have a white quarterback to win' he would be exiled from the sport and banished from his alma-mater entirely, whereas the Campbell story will probably be forgotten in a few days and result in zero consequences.
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